


Phanniemay 2014

by kimurasato



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-06-24
Packaged: 2018-02-06 00:05:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 33,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1837075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimurasato/pseuds/kimurasato
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A theme-a-day collection taking place in May that was created by beccadrawsstuff on tumblr. It contains various pairings and non-pairing stories, check the summary on each chapter to see what characters are involved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Space

**Author's Note:**

> Summary: Danny always dreamed of space and now he finally had his chance to sail the stars.  
> Characters: Danny, Jack, Maddie, and Vlad
> 
> Space Frontier AU includes:  
> Day 1 Space  
> Day 4 Transformation  
> Day 12 Death  
> Day 16 Stuck  
> Day 19 Wulf

The sea of stars spread out before him in a vast blanket of darkness. His eyes darted all around, trying to take in as much of the space surrounding him as possible. He almost couldn't believe he was finally out here, piloting a space ship and sailing the cosmic sea. It was everything he could have imagined and more. The view from this place, looking at all the tiny stars shining before him, was more beautiful in person than simply seeing far off galaxies in pictures and films.

"You're doing quite well," his father said, drawing his attention away from the view before him.

"Of course!" Danny tossed a grin toward his father. "I've only clocked about a thousand hours piloting the simulation."

"A simulation doesn't prepare you for every accident that could occur out here." His father gave him a stern look before taking a sip from the mug he carried back onto the bridge after a quick trip to the break room. Then he checked the time on his watch. "You've been at this for about four hours. I think you should take a break. Go walk around for a while. It's not good to sit still for too long."

Danny frowned, turning his gaze back to the stars before him. He didn't really want to get up and leave this view. There was just so much to take in! And he was finally here to see it after years of training at the academy to get his license to be able to pilot a space ship alongside his father. With a sigh, he pushed his chair back from the control panel and stood, allowing his father to take over commanding the ship.

"Don't look so disappointed." His father patted him on the shoulder with a bright grin. "We're going to be out here for a while. You'll have so many chances to pilot the ship that you'll get sick of it."

Danny snorted. "I doubt that. It's all I've dreamed about."

His father laughed, a warm, booming sound as he ruffled his son's raven locks. "That's my son! Just like your old man." He grinned proudly then took a seat in the pilot's chair.

Danny stared out the giant glass windows at the front of the ship. "This quadrant doesn't seem to have much in the way of inhabitable planets." His brow pinched as he glanced back at his father. "Do we have enough fuel and food to survive until we reach a planet with life on it?" Their ship had a hyper drive, which would allow them to travel an immense distance in a short period of time, but they wouldn't be able to make the jump if they wasted too much of their fuel milling around in a dead zone of space.

"No worries." His father hit a few buttons on the console before him and a holographic map of space appeared. Shimmering green lights representing planets and stars filled the bridge. "We're right about here." His father pointed to a spot between them. "And right over here," his finger moved forward in the direction they were heading, and he had to lean over the console to point out a much larger, brightly glowing planet, "is Dembala. It's a great place. You're gonna love it. We have more than enough fuel to reach it and restock our supplies."

Danny nodded, trusting his father who had sailed the stars long before his son was even born. "I'll go grab some grub then." He walked toward the exit of the bridge, swiping his hand before the panel to open the door. Walking through the silvery tube passage, he stretched his arms over his head, hearing a few pops and groans from his joints. Maybe his father had a point about not sitting still for so long. But he couldn't help himself. He wanted to pilot the ship for as long as possible.

He passed by the break room and stopped at the next room, opening the door much like he had the one on the bridge. A smile crossed his face when he saw the woman at one of the stations. Her head was bowed as she examined samples with a microscope. She kept her brown hair cut short and tied back out of her face while she worked.

"How goes the experiments, Mom?" Danny asked as he walked over to lean on the station. He reached to pick up one of the slides, but his mother slapped his hand away without taking her eyes from the microscope.

"Do I have to give you a lecture about not playing with our work again?" His mother stood up straight and frowned at him sternly.

Danny wore a sheepish smile. "But I know a thing or two about this stuff. I _have_ studied it too." It was more of an elective while he attended the academy, but he thought it would be good to get some base knowledge of his parents' work if he was going to be a part of their crew while they flew around the stars.

"I just don't want you contaminating any of the samples." His mother pulled the slide from the microscope. When her eyes turned to it, they lit up with the usual excitement his parents got when it came to their experiments. "I've never seen anything like this before though. We might have stumbled onto something new on that last planet. Once we refuel and resupply on Dembala, we're going to have to return to that planet and explore it some more."

Danny lifted his eyebrows as he leaned forward to see the sample better. "What's so special about it?" He frowned at the pink spot squished between the two slides. Then he was staring at an empty slide. He stood up straight, his eyes bulging widely. "What was _that_?"

"That would be what I've been studying for the past hour," his mother explained, sounding more excited about the prospect of what the mystery sample meant than disappointed about not being able to find an answer to her questions. "It's still there." And a second later, the pink spot reappeared. "I'll have to run some more tests on it."

Danny nodded. "I bet Dad will be excited when he hears about this." His parents always wanted to make some great new discovery, and Danny would be ecstatic for them if his parents came across something unknown. He reached up to cover his mouth as he yawned widely.

"You should get some sleep if you're tired," his mother said, concern in her violet eyes. "You won't be much good for piloting the ship if you're exhausted."

Danny hated to admit it, but his mother had a point. "I'll go catch a bit of sleep then." He left the laboratory and headed down the passage toward the sleeping quarters for their ship. Rubbing at his eyes, he hadn't realized just how tired he was, too caught up in his eagerness to sail among the stars. When he entered the sleeping quarters, he collapsed onto his bed, not even bothering to turn on the lights. He would sleep for a few minutes, just enough to regain his energy then return to the bridge to help his father. His eyes slipped halfway closed as he pressed his head into his pillow.

Red eyes glowed from across the room. Danny jolted off his bed with a yelp. His legs got all tangled, and he hit the ground, jarring his elbow on the solid metal flooring. A hand slapped over his mouth before he could form any words, and the red eyes glared dangerously down at him. His nose twitched at a smell he didn't recognize, but it was stronger with the person, or at least a humanoid alien, right on top of him. He glanced sideways, spying drops of pink splattered upon the floor from across the room to where he now lay. Danny turned his gaze back onto whomever was holding him down and raised his hands as a show of surrender. After a moment, the hand pulled away from his mouth, but the weight above him kept him from being able to get up.

"You're hurt," Danny said in a slow, quiet voice. "I can help you take care of that." He wasn't sure how this person or alien, more likely alien if it was dripping pink blood, got onto their ship, but he and his parents were never the type to ignore an injured being. "You're safe here."

Confusion showed in the red eyes, but slowly the weight moved off him. "Em pleh dluow ouy?"

Danny blinked. "Ah, we don't have a translator on the ship." He scratched at his head as he sat up. Their translator had malfunctioned a few nights ago, and they didn't have the parts to repair it. His parents knew alien languages far better than he did and could likely get away without the translator on most planets. "Let me take you to the medical facility on our ship." He climbed to his feet and offered a hand out to the alien. "I can help you there."

Hesitancy flickered in the alien's eyes before he, his voice sounded male at least, took the hand. Danny frowned when he saw the pink blood oozing from a wound on the alien's side, though the alien tried to cover it with one hand. Leading the alien out of the sleeping quarters, he hoped the alien had a biological makeup with which he was familiar. He had studied a bit about them at the academy, but the biology of some aliens still mystified him. They stepped out of the sleeping quarters and into the bright lights of the tube passage running through the ship, and Danny got his first real look at the alien. He was right about him being humanoid. The alien could have passed for human if it wasn't for the red eyes and bluish skin. He had more injuries than the bleeding side. His blue skin was bruised in spots and his white clothing was torn up and dirtied. His black hair hung down loosely about his shoulders but looked like he hadn't washed it in days, maybe even months.

"I think we might have some clothes that will fit you," Danny said as they walked toward the medical facility. His father was much larger than the alien, and his mother was much too petite. Danny doubted his own clothing would fit the alien, but maybe with a bit altering he could get something to fit him. The alien stayed silent, watching with wary eyes as Danny tended to his injuries. Danny kept flicking his gaze up to the alien, wondering how his parents would react to their stowaway. _I'll cross that bridge when I get there_ , he thought and focused on the alien's injuries.


	2. Favorite Episode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Vlad made a lot of terrible decisions in his life, but he never regretted one as much as this.  
> Characters: Vlad, Danny, and Dan

Vlad stood in the doorway to the bedroom, the same one he had given the young boy when his family came to visit for their twentieth college reunion. It felt like years had passed since they first met, and the time had drained him a great deal. He just wanted to collapse into a seat in his study and drown himself in the hard liquor he kept stashed away for times when he felt particularly depressed.

"Daniel-"

"I _don't_ want to talk about it," Daniel muttered, his voice sounding thick like he had been crying. He probably was still crying. He refused to even look at Vlad, another sign to suggest he was crying and didn't want the older man to know about it.

Vlad lowered his gaze, absently smoothing down his black suit. He hardly felt like the right person to speak with the boy at this time. How was he supposed to offer him help when he was dealing with his own grief? For all his desire to have a family of his own, having Daniel in his care now left him grasping blindly for answers of how to care for the boy.

"You're not the only one hurting here, Daniel."

The boy was off the bed in a flash, and even if he had the time to react, Vlad wouldn't have attempted to move to avoid when Daniel grabbed hold of the front of his suit and drove the older half ghost back until he slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the hall. Daniel's eyes were red and puffy, tracks from tears running down his face. The anger twisted upon his face didn't hide the pain and sorrow he felt shining through his eyes.

"You think you have the right to think your pain is more important than mine?" Daniel shouted, screamed into Vlad's face. "You think your sick obsession with my mom makes your pain real? I lost my parents! My sister! My friends! Even my teacher was killed in that explosion! And you think you can sit here and tell me I'm not the only one hurting?" He slammed Vlad hard against the wall, his eyes shifting to bright green in his rage.

Vlad shook his head. "That's not what I was trying to say. I loved your mother. I never wanted something like this to happen."

"Never-" Daniel released a bitter laugh. "Never wanted something like this to happen? You tried to _kill_ my dad. _Multiple times_! Now you're going to try to tell me that you _didn't_ mean for my dad to die?"

"I-" Vlad turned his gaze away from the boy. "Yes, I was bitter and jealous. Enough so that I wanted your father out of the way to get what I thought I deserved. But I never meant for you to lose so much. I never wanted you to suffer like this. If I could, I would do anything I could to help you through this."

"You want to help me?" Daniel shouted, his hands balling tighter around the fabric of Vlad's suit. "If you _really_ want to help me, then find a way to stop me from feeling all this pain. I'm sick of feeling empty inside. Like someone reached into my chest and ripped out my heart. I can't," the tears ran down his face, and he bowed his head, "keep living like this. It hurts too much. If you can't give me my family and friends back, then take away the hurt."

Daniel didn't fight when Vlad enclosed him in an embrace. His face buried against the man's chest, his tears dampening the suit, though Vlad hardly cared about that at the moment. Daniel sobbed in his anguish, and Vlad felt his own heart breaking again. He never wanted this for Daniel. He would find some way to make things better for the boy.

It all went wrong. He meant to help Daniel, but he only made everything worse.

"I'm so sorry," Vlad whispered brokenly as he clutched the lifeless body in his arms. He squeezed his eyes shut as hot tears ran down his face. Why did he destroy everything he touched in the end? Daniel could have had such a bright future ahead of him if Vlad hadn't interfered. He sobbed into the crook of Daniel's neck, wishing for life to return to the boy's broken body. "I only meant to help you. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. You were supposed to be free and happy, without the pain. I'm so, so sorry."

"Why?"

Vlad lifted his gaze to the strange being floating before him. He could see some of Daniel in his face, but it all looked so very wrong to him. He held Daniel's body a bit tighter, and even more, it seemed like his world was crumbling down around him. He never meant to unleash this upon the world.

"You did as promised," the not-Daniel ghost said with a crazed grin upon his face and madness in his blood red eyes. "I'm free of all those pathetic human emotions."

"I'm so sorry, Daniel," Vlad whispered with regret as the not-Daniel ghost laughed, shaking the man to his core. He never should have involved himself with the Fenton family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a tough choice for me because I don't really pick favorites and there are a lot of really good episodes. So I ended up deciding on The Ultimate Enemy because I really liked it and how we got to see another side of Vlad. A redeemable side. Unfortunately, they killed him in season 3.


	3. Ghost King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Dora meets with the royal family of a neighboring kingdom for the first time.  
> Characters: Dora, Aragon, Plasmius, and Phantom

She swallowed nervously, a lump forming in her throat as she stared up at the intimidating form of the ghost king. She was a princess herself, so being around royalty was not in itself a terrifying thing to her. Her father was a well respected king, quite handsome with his short cropped blond hair and well groomed mustache. Her mother was a strong figure of beauty with a curtain of silky black hair. Dora only hoped one day she would match her mother in terms of beauty and stance. For now, she was an awkward seeming child.

But the king before her didn't give off the same warmth her parents made her feel. She wanted to hide behind her mother's skirts and escape the cold glare of those red eyes. Why did she even have to be here greeting the king of another realm? Her parents didn't usually bring them along for audiences with other kings and queens. Beside her, her brother Aragon wiped his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. He wore a perpetual sneer upon his face with a hooked nose which didn't belong to either of their parents. Sometimes, Dora liked to pretend her brother was adopted because she preferred not to believe they were related by blood. Aragon had a terrible cruel streak in him, enjoying it when he terrorized Dora and the servants working in their castle.

"Welcome to our kingdom, Prince Aragon, Princess Dorathea," greeted the ghost king with blue skin. "I am King Plamius." He bowed to them, and despite her fears of the king, Dora lifted her skirts as she curtseyed in response. After a cough from her father, Aragon, begrudgingly, bowed to the king. "And this is my wife, Queen Ilona."

The queen stepped up beside her husband, looking a vision in her blood red dress. Her snow white hair was drawn up in loose curls, spilling down onto her left shoulder, and decorated with flowers matching her dress. Her skin was a softer blue than her husband's, but her eyes were a bright green, glowing with life. In her arms, she held a little bundle, wrapped in white cloth.

"And this is our precious baby," Queen Ilona said, looking upon her child with a fond smile. "Prince Phantom." She adjusted her hold on her son so she could show him off to the young prince and princess from a neighboring kingdom. Unlike his parents, his skin was pale, but he had his mother's same shock of white hair. He was a little pudgy, his chubby arms stretching awkwardly as his mouth opened in a wide yawn.

Aragon snorted beside her, and Dora was sorely tempted to kick him for his rudeness before the king and queen. "What an ugly runt," muttered Aragon, scowling at the baby.

Their father was behind him in an instant, covering his son's mouth with his hand to keep him from mumbling any more rude comments. "My apologies, King Plamius, Queen Ilona. I'm afraid my son still needs quite a few lessons on etiquette when in audience with foreign kings and queens."

King Plasmius glared down his nose at Aragon, clearly not pleased with the boy's comment. "Quite all right, King Archibald. I understand not all children are able to behave appropriately." Though he sounded polite, the way he said children and glared at Aragon spoke volumes of what he thought of the young prince.

"I think he's adorable," Dorathea spoke up then blushed at the boldness of her comment.

Queen Ilona smiled kindly at her and crouched down to be at Dora's level. "Would you like to hold him?"

"Can I?" Dora clapped her hands together with a hopeful look. Then she glanced at her parents, ignoring her brother's glower, to see if she had embarrassed them with her response. Her father seemed to sigh, but her mother hid a smile behind her hand.

"Of course," Queen Ilona answered with amusement in her voice. "Just be sure to support the head."

Dora stepped forward and carefully accepted the baby from his mother. She made certain she did as the queen said, holding the baby's head so it didn't flop around unsupported. A smile spread onto her face as Phantom opened bright green eyes and stared up at her. His little hands clapped together in jerky motions as he smiled. Kicking his legs within his cloth wrappings, he giggled, which made Dora laugh too.

"Hm," Queen Ilona said, "it seems he likes you. Perhaps, if your parents would allow it, you could visit our kingdom sometimes to babysit him."

"Really?" Dora's eyes widened, and she turned to her parents. "Would that be okay? Can I?"

"I think we can allow that." Her mother laughed lightly at the excitement in her daughter.

"Then it's decided. Princess Dorathea shall be Prince Phantom's official royal babysitter," Queen Ilona announced, seeming quite pleased with this development.

"You are certainly welcome to visit our kingdom any time you wish, Princess Dorathea," King Plasmius said, the corner of his mouth threatening to pull into a smile. Though he didn't say it, Dora had the distinct feeling the invitation didn't extend to her brother too. She couldn't blame the king. If she could deny her brother entry into her parents' kingdom, she would.


	4. Transformation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Danny continues to help the stowaway alien, but he seems to have forgotten one little detail: his parents.  
> Characters: Danny, Vlad, Maddie, and Jack
> 
> Space Frontier AU includes:  
> Day 1 Space  
> Day 4 Transformation  
> Day 12 Death  
> Day 16 Stuck  
> Day 19 Wulf

Danny looked over his work, feeling rather proud at the stitch work he did to sow up the injury to the alien's side. Right now, those long hours learning about the biology of various alien species and training part time as a medical assistant paid off when he stared at his delicate work in patching up the alien's injuries. Then he lifted his gaze, and his mouth pulled into a frown as he took in the alien's state. Red eyes lowered as a black gloved hand gingerly touched the stitches, almost marveling at the human's ability. But there was still the matter of his dirtied state with dried pink blood and splotches of grime here and there and his matted greasy hair.

"We have a shower you can use to wash up," Danny offered. "I'll try to find something that you can wear." And he hoped to have it finished by the time the alien finished showering, if he needed to alter anything. "Food! You're probably hungry too. Our supplies are getting a bit low, but we'll be arriving on a populated planet shortly, so I don't think sharing food with an extra passenger is going to hurt us." They could ration out their supplies for four and make them last long enough to reach Dembala. "Let me show you to the shower."

The alien slid off the examining table, for a moment seeming unsteady on his feet. Danny reached out on instinct, placing an arm around the alien's body to catch him and keep him on his feet. The alien lifted his gaze, giving the man a grateful look. Once the alien seemed to be able to stand on his own, Danny pulled away then led the way from the medical facility toward the washroom.

"Do you know how this all operates?" Danny questioned, wondering if he would have to give a full explanation of it.

"Stinu htab dah ew," the alien said as he lifted one arm and gestured with the other like he was scrubbing himself clean.

Danny guessed it meant the alien understood how to use the shower. "Ah, okay. Then I'll leave you to this and get to work on finding you some clothes." He stepped out of the washroom to allow the alien to bathe in private. Then he walked back to their sleeping quarters where they kept their clothing. He sifted through some of his father's things, which would all be too large for the alien, but he could try taking them in a bit for a better fit.

After some searching, Danny found one of his father flight jumpsuits. It was made of a stretchy material, so even though it appeared several sizes too small for the large man, it still fit perfectly. The jumpsuit was buried at the bottom of his father's things, and Danny suspected his father had forgotten it was even there. He pulled at the white and black material, watching it stretch then snap back into place after he released his hold. This would do nicely for the alien.

Danny stood up, and at that exact moment, he heard a scream from somewhere else in the ship. Keeping the jumpsuit clutched in his hand, he raced out of the sleeping quarters and through the silver tube passage way. His heart pounded in his chest as his mind spun with questions, wondering what happened. He thought the scream sounded like his mother, and he remembered the sample she was examining when he checked in on her. It hadn't looked dangerous to him. But what if it was?

But he ran past the laboratory, finding it empty, and he continued down the passage way to the washroom. His mother stood to one side of the room with her hands covering her eyes and a dark blush upon her face. Danny blinked several times, baffled by the telltale sign of embarrassment until he turned his gaze to see the alien, who had stepped out of the shower by then. The alien had time to dry himself off, and apparently he decided to give himself a haircut. He raked a hand through his short raven locks, turning his gaze away as his cheeks glowed with a bright purplish pink blush. He held up a towel hastily wrapped around his waist with his other hand. Danny realized what had his mother screaming now. She had walked in on the alien while he was still in a state of undress.

"What is it? What happened?" his father demanded as he came charging into the washroom with a blaster in hand and ready to take down any threat aboard their ship.

"No, no, no!" Danny shouted, placing himself between his father and the alien, who backed up against the wall with a frightful expression, his red eyes growing wide with fear. "He's not going to harm anyone."

His father blinked, blue eyes glancing past his son to survey the alien. His mouth opened and closed a few times, and Danny couldn't help thinking his father could do a great impersonation as a fish. "No way!" his father gasped out in surprise, holstering the blaster in a loop on his belt. "Is that - Oh, what were they called?" He stumbled forward toward the alien, pushing past his son. The alien glanced at Danny, almost seeming to beg for help as the large human approached him. "Notnef Kcaj si eman ym!" His father grinned widely as he placed his hands to his chest. "Pihs rou ot emoclew! Eman ruoy si tahw?"

The alien stared at him for a long while before his eyes grew a touch wider but this time in surprise and wonder. "Sretsam Dalv. Egaugnal ym wonk uoy?"

"Haey! Oga sraey ti deiduts I."

"I don't know what's going on," Danny said, his brow creasing as he tried to pick out _anything_ the two were saying, "but maybe we should continue this after we let him put on some clothes." He might not know a lot about the alien, but he _did_ know if he were in the alien's current position, he would at least like to be dressed in something other than a towel.

"Uh, right," his father said, looking a bit embarrassed. "We'll just go wait on the bridge. You can bring him there once he's dressed." He walked over to his wife, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Then the two of them left the washroom.

"I, um," Danny mumbled awkwardly as he offered the jumpsuit to the alien. "Sorry about that. I should have warned my parents first." He flushed with his own embarrassment as the alien took the jumpsuit from him.

The alien shook his head, keeping his eyes lowered, but he wore a fond sort of smile. "Uoy knaht."

"Right. Um. I'll just be outside when you're done." Danny stumbled backwards a few steps then left the washroom. The door slid shut behind him, and he wiped a hand over his face. He wasn't sure what he expected his parents' reactions to be, but he was glad his father at least seemed excited about the alien being aboard the ship.

After a few moments, the alien stepped out of the washroom, and at first, Danny didn't recognize him. He stared dumbly at the alien before him in the skin tight white and black jumpsuit as he adjusted the gloves. Showering and cutting his hair had already drastically changed how the alien looked, but now the alien could pass for a completely different person with his pale skin and silvery hair. Despite the dark blue of his eyes now, Danny got the same impression from them as he did when he stared into the alien's red eyes. He also still had that same slight cut over the left side of his mouth and a dark bruising in the same spot on his forehead.

"Wow," Danny breathed out in surprise. "I wasn't expecting that." He shook his head when the alien's brow wrinkled with puzzlement. "Right. Uh, to the bridge." He led the way, still shocked by the transformation. The alien looked completely human now, and no one would ever suspect he was an alien.

"Whoa!" his father said the moment they arrived on the bridge. "I didn't know they could do that. It certainly wasn't mentioned in any of our books." His father scratched at the back of his head with a slight frown. "Then again, there wasn't really much about them other than their language. I think my professor said they had died out."

Danny cast a glance toward the alien. "So he'd be really rare? Uh, and what were you talking to him about before in the washroom?"

"Might even be the last of his kind." His father folded his arms with a sad expression. The comment felt like a blow to the gut, and Danny felt sorry for the alien if it was true. Being the last of his kind probably wasn't a fact the alien liked to remember, or be reminded of. "I greeted him to our ship and asked him his name. It's Vlad Masters."

"Vlad, huh?" Danny flicked his gaze over the alien, glad to have a name to call him.

"I suppose," his mother said, frowning as she stood with a hand to cheek, "if he's the last of his kind, it's probably a good thing he can make himself look so human." Her cheeks still held a faint trace of the blush she sported when she was in the washroom. "Imagine what would happen if the trade dealers learned of him. They would probably try to auction him for a lot of money!" A horrified expression crossed her face, which seemed to mimic the way Danny felt as that thought passed through his mind. No alien deserved to be sold like a pet, or worse a slave!

"I think it would be best to teach him our language then," his father said. "We can't always rely on translators to do the work for us, and human English has spread quite far through the galaxies."

"Yrros m'i. Nwod wols uoy dluoc? Dnatsrednu ot em rof drah yrev llits s'ti." Vlad frowned, his brow slightly creased, and his expression slightly troubled.

"Yrros, yrros!" his father said, bowing his head in an apologetic manner. "Segaugnal rehto ot desu ton er'uoy nehw drah s'ti tegrof I."

Vlad nodded as a slight smiled pulled at his scarred mouth. It seemed he was thankful at least one of them spoke his language.

"Well," his father said, making the effort to slow his speech for the alien, "we won't arrive on Dembala for some time. We can take turns trying to teach him to speak our language. He at least seems to already have some understanding of it."

Danny agreed as it sounded like a good plan. "I'll take him to the break room so he can get some food. Then I'll show him around the ship." His parents nodded their consent, and Danny opened the bridge door for him and Vlad. They walked through the tube passage way together, and Danny pointed out different areas of the ship, trying to speak slow enough for Vlad to understand without it being a giant headache for him. He smiled a little to himself, happy to have another member aboard their ship.


	5. Under Appreciated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: It wasn't supposed to happen like this. That is all she could think after seeing him disappear.  
> Characters: Danny x Star
> 
> Demigod AU includes:  
> Day 5 Under Appreciated  
> Day 7 Crossover  
> Day 8 Desiree  
> Day 15 Unlucky  
> Day 24 Jack

No one thought she could do it. Why would she be chosen? She remembered hearing the murmurs from the others about how the smartest choice would be Paulina, the counselor for their cabin. She _was_ the number one beauty, after all. But somehow, the task fell upon Star's shoulders, and she half suspected someone had hexed Paulina so she wouldn't be able to go on the quest. If they thought they were doing her a favor, Star fully disagreed with them. She was cold and dirty, definitely not what one would expect from a daughter of Aphrodite but apparently her mother's gift could hold up to only so much monster fighting, and she hurt all over. Her back felt like someone had pounded on it with a hundred ton hammer. A few _dozen_ times. Death almost sounded like a sweet alternative.

But all of those thoughts were practically sucked right out of her mind as she watched the raven haired teen vanish over the edge of the cliff. Her heart stopped in her chest, her eyes growing wide as panic and fear built up inside her. Her body trembled, and she nearly lost the grip on her sword made of Celestial bronze.

He couldn't - This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! The prophecy had said! He had come with her because he was supposed to help her finish the quest! He couldn't just _fall_ to his death!

But she knew somewhere in her that it wasn't about the prophecy or the quest. When it was first announced she would be leading the quest and who would be accompanying her, Star could only groan. Dash from Ares cabin would be better! Even Kwan from Hephaestus cabin would make sense. She wouldn't mind partnering up with Valerie, but the Hunters of Artemis usually didn't stop by the camp. _Anyone_ would have been better than a son of Hades! But she was stuck with him. The prophecy specifically mentioned a son of Hades accompanying her on this quest, and Daniel Fenton currently was the only that fit the bill. They didn't get along _at all_ when they started the quest. Star didn't have much faith in his abilities to fight either. Danny was tall but rather lanky and looked about five minutes from collapsing from exhaustion. Plus the guy hung out with the dead all the time. Talk about creepy! Star had a constant shudder for the first few days of their quest just from being around him and the eerie vibe he gave off.

But he proved to be a valuable companion. Despite his looks, he was a decent fighter. He wielded a pair of daggers made of Stygian iron, which Star thought an odd choice, but Danny could move surprisingly quickly and the blades danced with dark flashes as he sliced through the monsters attacking them. He had probably saved her life more times than she cared to count already. Even though he gave off a sort of somber aura, he was actually kind of funny, telling jokes with a grin Star found herself thinking about unexpectedly from time to time. When they camped out at night, unable to afford renting a hotel room, he would ramble on about the stars. She had never found space interesting, but somehow, Danny made it sound so fascinating. She could listen to him talk about it for hours. If they didn't have to sleep so they would be well rested for traveling in the morning.

But now he had disappeared beyond the edge of the cliff!

Star was left to finish this all on her own. But at the moment, she couldn't care less about the quest, even if it meant saving the world from a terrible fate. Danny was gone, and everything hurt worse than the beating she took through the journey here from monsters. She hadn't even realized it was happening as they started to get along better during their journey together because they still sniped at each other frequently. But now he was gone and none of it mattered anymore.

The tears spilled hotly down her cheeks, cutting through the dirt and grime coating her face, as she stumbled toward the cliff. He had saved her again only to sacrifice his own life. Star nearly tripped over her feet but managed to catch her balance before she face planted ungracefully into the ground. When she reached the edge, she almost couldn't bear to look down, fearing the sight of Danny's twisted, mangled body lying motionless far below her. She gulped down mouthfuls of air, steeling herself for what she would see then dared to lower her gaze.

"Ow," Danny groaned, pushing himself up on one arm as he rubbed at his head. He sat only a few feet below her, rather than the hundreds or thousands of feet she had expected, and he seemed to have only suffered a few more bangs here and there to his body. "I don't suggest trying that."

Star hurried down the small cliff side to the ledge below, cutting up her knee when she slipped, but she was more focused on reaching Danny than the pain. "You're an idiot!" she shouted, scrambling over to him as Danny cringed away from her. "And a loser! And - And - Oh! You're the absolute worst!" She stamped her foot in frustration, and Danny hung his head in shame, like he knew he had disappointed her somehow and hated himself for it. "Because I love you anyway!" She dropped to her knees beside him and threw her arms around him, burying her face against his neck as she sobbed, releasing the pent up emotions that she wasn't even sure for how long she had them.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Danny murmured softly, enclosing her in his arms and holding her tightly. "I didn't mean to. I just - I couldn't let that monster hurt you. I would give my life to keep you safe." He was silent a moment, struggling with his words. "Because I love you too."

"Don't throw your life away then!" Star shouted with a pathetic sob. "I couldn't bear it."

"I'm sorry," he said again, and his lips pressed to the top of her head. "I'll try not to do that again." They sat there, holding each other for she wasn't sure how long. They still had a quest to complete, but Star only cared that Danny was there, alive and safe in her arms.


	6. Favorite Head Canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Vlad is getting a reputation with the nurses at the hospital.  
> Characters: Vlad and Skulker
> 
> Continuing from Ghost Stories chapter 41 Whispers of Discovery.  
> Ghost Whispers AU includes:  
> Day 6 Favorite Head Canon  
> Day 27 Favorite Power

"Are you comfortable? Do you need anything else?" asked the young nurse as she picked up the empty tray.

Vlad shook his head, flipping the page in his book. Being stuck in the hospital pretty much sucked, and his days were rather dull with doing not much more than laying around in bed and the few occasions he was able to stroll around the hospital. Unfortunately, he had to have a nurse present with him when he did, in case it was "more than he could handle and passed out somewhere." He rolled his eyes because he felt perfectly fine. The doctors still wanted to keep an eye on him since ecto acne wasn't exactly a common thing. In fact, as far as he knew, Vlad was the first and only case.

"Well, if you do need anything, just hit the button." The nurse smiled politely then left the room, closing the door behind her.

"I thought she'd never leave." With a sigh, Vlad slipped the bookmark into place then set his book aside on the table next to his bed. "She really didn't need to clean practically _everywhere_ before leaving."

"She was probably waiting to see if the rumors were true. The other nurses all gossip about how you talk to yourself."

"Great," Vlad muttered glumly. "I'm a freak even here." He frowned as he turned his gaze onto the little blob of a ghost who appeared reclining leisurely against the pillow on the bed with his little arms folded behind his head. He had already sensed the familiar ghost before he showed up, hearing the whispers from the ghost as he approached.

"Well," Skulker said slowly like he was debating the facts in his head, "you aren't exactly normal." He snorted a laugh. "You do hear whispers in your head after all. Yet surprisingly, you're not crazy."

Vlad stared doubtfully, his brows lifting a touch. "I don't know. I think maybe you might be a hallucination."

"Ha! You wish." Skulker grinned.

Vlad sighed, bending forward to rub at his forehead. How did his life become like this? Oh right. The Proto Portal exploded in his face. He turned back to the ghost, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "So am I stuck hearing this whispers all the time? Because it makes sleeping really hard when the ghosts in the morgue get way too chatty."

"I suppose you could learn to hone it," Skulker said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Ghosts use that sort of sense to alert them to the presence other ghosts. It could be useful if a threat appeared. Not all ghosts are as nice as I am."

"Right," Vlad said dryly. "You were going to teach me more about these," he held out a hand, and it began to glow faintly pink, "powers or whatever they are."

Skulker sat up, appearing more interested in the conversation. "Yes, quite unique for a human not only to have a ghost sense but also ghost powers."

Vlad closed his hand into a fist, and the glow brightened. "Don't get any thoughts, hunter."

Skulker held up his hands with an awkward laugh. "Wasn't even thinking about it."

Vlad glared harder because he could _hear_ the thoughts floating around the ghost's head and most of them involved Vlad and his uniqueness being a perfected addition to the hunter's collection. Then he turned his gaze to his hand, staring at the pink glow surrounding his fist.

"Is this all I'm capable of?" Vlad's brow pinched as he watched the fluctuation of the glow. "Sensing ghosts and summoning... whatever this is?"

"It's ectoplasm. Energy. The stuff ghosts are made of."

Vlad rolled his eyes. "I _know_ what ectoplasm is. I've been researching ghosts all through college. But _why_ can I use it?"

Skulker shrugged then chuckled. "But you should look in the mirror sometime when you get angry."

"Why?" His puzzlement was clear in his voice.

Skulker grinned like he had a secret. "When you get angry, you're eyes glow red."

The color drained from Vlad's face. "What?" He thought of the times he got angry ever since entering the hospital, and his stomach dropped with a cold sensation. What if someone had seen his eyes glowing red? What did that even mean? His breaths came in short gasps as a thought occurred to him. "Am I dead? Did I really die in that accident but I just haven't realized it?"

Skulker blinked, thrown off by the unexpected questions. "I know there are some ghosts that can pass for the living, but even they give off enough to feel a faint sense from them. Normally, you don't give off _any_ sort of ghost sense. I only get little blips when you call up some energy or get angry enough to make your eyes flash."

Vlad nodded, but he still felt shaken by the thought of being dead. "Then," he licked his dry lips, "how do you explain that I can do all these ghost like stuff?"

"I wish I had an explanation, but unfortunately, I don't." Skulker shrugged. "Oh!" He floated up from the bed with a gleam of excitement in his eyes. Vlad didn't need to ask what caught the ghost's interest. He could hear the thoughts of a ghost on the edge of his range. It was the ghost Skulker had sought after the night they first met in the hospital's morgue.

"If I ever get out of here, I'll get to work on that suit I promised you for helping me," Vlad said, knowing the hunter was about to continue the chase for his prey. "But you'll have to _actually_ start teaching me some things."

"Next time!" Skulker assured him. "And I'm going to hold you to that suit." His eyes were bright, probably imagining what his new suit might look like, and Vlad bit back a smirk because the hunter looked like a five year old getting excited over Christmas. "Catch you next time." Skulker gave a salute before flying off through the wall of the hospital.

Vlad laughed to himself as he shook his head. After flipping off the lights in his room, he settled back on his bed and stared up at the dark ceiling for a while. The ghost whispers still reached him from the morgue, and they did contribute to his restless nights, but Vlad was beginning to get used to them. It was becoming more like background noise he tuned out after a while once he got used to certain voices. Only new and unfamiliar ones jerked him out of his sleep late into the night in a cold sweat. Tonight, they all felt familiar, and Vlad closed his eyes, hoping for a peaceful night's sleep.


	7. Crossover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Coming to camp and learning the truth wasn't an easy thing for Danny.  
> Characters: Danny, Dash, and Kwan with mentions of Jazz and Tucker
> 
> Demigod AU includes:  
> Day 5 Under Appreciated  
> Day 7 Crossover  
> Day 8 Desiree  
> Day 15 Unlucky  
> Day 24 Jack

He could still remember how terrifying it was when he first arrived at Camp Half-Blood. He was only eleven at the time, and ten minutes prior, he had watched the man guiding him and his sister to the camp basically get vaporized by a monster. Okay. Vaporize wasn't the right word. But at eleven, it leaves a fairly bad impression when the man he had trusted has his hat ripped off to reveal stubby little horns. He had screamed in terror when the man's feet flew off. Except the man didn't have feet. He had hooves he kept hidden with shoes, but the eleven year old boy hadn't known that at first. Then the monster tore a hole right through the man, and when the man collapsed to the ground, he faded from sight, leaving behind a little sapling in his place.

His sister was claimed the first night they spent at camp. She was two years old than he was, and he found it as no big surprise when her godly parent was announced as Athena. Jazz had always been smarter than most people. It was the most logical outcome for her to be a daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom. He was a little disappointed when he wasn't claimed too. He shrank in on himself as the whispers started, campers wondering why Jazz would be claimed and he wasn't.

He was stuck sleeping in the Hermes cabin, where all unclaimed demigods had a place to stay. He never felt like he fit in there, and he hated not being able to sit at the same table with his sister when they had dinner. It was unfair! He didn't know anyone else at camp, and the Hermes cabin was all loud and rowdy. Some of the Ares and Aphrodite children teased him about being "unwanted" by his godly parent or saying Athena probably didn't want to admit to having someone so stupid as her son. Jazz tried to cheer him up, and the other unclaimed children told him not to worry about it. Eventually all of them would be claimed. Gods were, apparently, busy and sometimes forgot or didn't get around to claiming their children right away.

By the end of his first summer at Camp Half-Blood, he had made at least one friend among all the other campers. Tucker Foley, son of Hephaestus. He seemed like a runt compared the bigger and burlier members of the cabin, but he was great at telling jokes, which helped a lot to make him forgot about still being unclaimed. Tucker was also good at inventing things. Unlike the rough, callused hands the others had, he had long slender and nimble fingers. He could do some amazingly intricate work. Before they went their separate ways at the end of the summer, Tucker promised he would make some wicked weapons, maybe even a shield, for him.

He never told anyone about some stuff, no one except Jazz. His sister was the only one he trusted with some information because she had always been there for him, protecting him when he was too young and scared to defend himself. He could _sense_ things. Monsters weren't surprising, but they weren't the only thing he sensed. When they went to school, the other students tended to keep away from him, saying he had a "weird vibe." He was okay being alone though because being around large groups of people made it easier to sense things. Jazz kept telling him it would be okay and he shouldn't worry about it.

But what was he supposed to think when he could tell when someone was going to die?

It gave him chills and made him think the other students were right to stay away from him. Who wanted to be around someone who could tell when other people might die?

He was scared to tell anyone at camp about it. It didn't seem like any of the other campers suffered from the same ability as he did. He didn't want them thinking he was a freak on top of not being wanted by his godly parent. At night, he would lay in bed, staring up at the stars through his window and wondering why his godly parent didn't want him. Sometimes, he would even bring out a pair of Stygian iron daggers to stare at, watching the moonlight reflect off the dark blades. Jazz and their parents were the only ones that even knew he had the daggers. They had saved his life, and Jazz's, a number of times before the satyr found them and led them to Camp Half-Blood, giving his life in the effort.

Then one night when he was fourteen and they were all gathered around the campfire as usual, gasps filled the crowd, and the Hermes campers all shot away from him like he had burst into flames. He glanced around, blinking blue eyes in confusion. What had gotten into everyone?

"The little freak is the son of Hades!" shouted a voice, and he scanned the crowed to see Dash from the Ares cabin pointing at him. One of the other Ares campers tugged on his orange camp shirt, trying to pull the big blond teen back down onto the bench.

He wasn't sure how he felt about finally being claimed. It didn't stop the whispers and the looks sent his way. People seemed to keep away from him even more, except for Jazz and Tucker. He got to move into the Hades cabin, which was empty. At least it was a lot quieter than the Hermes cabin, but it was also rather lonely. He had to sit alone at dinner too.

"I don't get," Dash said one day, loud enough for him to hear as he walked past the pair of men. Dash was, of course, chatting with his friend Kwan from the Hephaestus cabin. "If Jazz is the daughter of Athena and dork boy is the son of Hades, how are they even related?" He scratched at his head, mussing up his blond locks, with a ridiculously stupid expression on his face.

"What does it matter?" Leave it to Kwan to try and change the topic. He was always kind of like that. Despite his jerk of a best friend, Kwan was actually pretty friendly. He, at least, seemed to get maybe this was a topic the siblings wouldn't want discussed and gossiped about among the rest of the camp.

Dash snorted then tossed his gaze around the area. When he caught sight of him, a cruel smirk spread over Dash's tanned face. "Hey, death freak, are you even _related_ to Jazz? Because I'm pretty sure it's impossible with your godly parents being different genders." He smirked like he had just achieved some sort of victory. "What happened? Your mortal parent got sick of you and dropped you out like a sack of garbage?"

"Dash, you shouldn't-"

"My mom was killed in a motorcycle accident!" he shouted furiously, glaring at Dash and refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing him cry. He knew he probably shouldn't have said anything, but he couldn't stop himself from snapping at the stupid, muscle headed son of Ares. He hadn't thought about his mother's death in years, but it still hurt as much as the day he found out what happened. The drunk who slammed into her was sent to jail, but it hardly made him feel better. The jerk going to jail didn't bring his mother back.

He could hear Jazz's calm voice in his head, telling him not to let them provoke him. The camp was supposed to be a safe place for them to train so they could survive outside the camp when monsters found them. They should try to get along with their fellow campers, but the Ares cabin usually made it difficult because they always seemed to show aggression to other campers. He turned on his heel and ran before he could do something stupid like trying to take Dash on by himself in a fight. He didn't look back to see if Dash gave chase to him. He was much faster than the big jock anyway. But no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't escape his memories.

He was six when it happened. His mother driving on her motorcycle as usual one night. She could be a bit of a wild daredevil sometimes. But even with her usual alertness, she missed the drunk running the red light, speeding at her at what could have been nearly a hundred miles an hour. It was probably closer to eighty. The social worker that spoke to him after the accident said his mother was dead in a instant, didn't feel anything. The woman was simply trying to comfort him. Then he was shoved into the system, dropped off at a place for orphaned children until they found a family to adopt them. He wanted to leave the place immediately. He already had a few encounters with monsters by that point, and he didn't want to put the other children in danger, even if no one believed him about the monsters. They all thought it was a coping mechanism because of what happened to his mother.

Then he ran into Jazz while he was trying to escape from this snake woman who had come to the orphanage, posing as an interested single mother. She was only two years older than he was, but she beat the snake woman down in seconds. He was in awe of her ever since, but Jazz passed off the easy victory as being thanks to him because the snake woman's focus was solely on him. She knew about monsters and how to fight and believed him. He stuck by her, and they protected each other. When he was eight, they were adopted, both of them together. Apparently, the couple looking to adopt saw how close they were, even though they weren't related by blood, and decided they couldn't be split up. He was grateful for that because he wasn't sure what he would do if he had to leave Jazz or if she was taken without him.

But they were wary of their foster parents. They weren't monsters, both he and Jazz could tell that right away. But with both of them in the house, they would attract monsters and put their foster parents in danger. Five months in, living in their house, the first monster attack came. They both feared their foster parents wouldn't believe them, but for whatever reason, the adults believed and trusted in them. Even stranger, they still wanted to keep Jazz and him as their children. A year later, he and Jazz decide to take their foster parents' name, their way of making their sibling relationship feel more real. He didn't care what Dash said, even if he spread the truth around to the rest of the camp. Jazz would _always_ be his sister.

"Running away won't solve your problems, Danny."

He spun around toward the voice. His chest heaved with each gasp of breath. He wasn't sure for how long he ran, but he was lost somewhere in the forest around the camp and the darkness was starting to set in. He gulped as he stared at the man leaning against one of the trees, examining his nails like this whole situation was an everyday occurrence for him. Danny didn't even question it. He knew immediately who the man was. His eyes hardened as his jaw set tightly.

"You haven't exactly been a dad to me. Why are you bothering to show up now?"

Hades lifted his gaze, frowning at the teenager before him. "What do you think you were going to do? Did you think you could find away to bring your mother back after all these years? You can't, you know."

Danny scowled then snapped his head away. "I'm not stupid. I know she can't be brought back to life." His brow pinched, and his heart ached with the memories, what little of them he had, of his mother. "Is she-"

"Suffering?" Hades' mouth twitched, almost smirking. "No, you're mother did not end up in the Fields of Punishment or in the Fields of Asphodel. She is happy in the afterlife."

Danny nodded, feeling some relief in knowing that his mother was not suffering. Then he lowered his gaze. "Is she mad at me? For," he struggled for a moment, "taking another name?"

Hades pushed away from the tree and approached him. His hand dropped onto Danny's shoulder, but the action seemed awkward, like he wasn't used to trying to comfort someone dealing with loss. "Do you really think your mother would be angry because you found a family who cares for you now that she can't?"

Of what he could remember of his mother, she had been a compassionate woman who felt strongly about family. He could still recall the feel of her arms around him, hugging him tightly and peppering him with kisses. He missed that greatly, but Mr. and Mrs. Fenton were good, understanding parents too.

"I just don't want her to think I've forgotten about her because I have a new family," Danny mumbled miserably.

"She knows you haven't forgotten her, and she's not disappointed or angry with you."

Danny reached up and rubbed at his eye. "Did you really come all the way here just to tell me that?" For some reason, he couldn't believe Hades, god of death, would come to see him just to tell him his mother didn't hate him.

"Because you need to stay here. You'll be safe at the camp, with the Fenton family, with your sister Jazz. There will come a time when you'll be needed, but before that time, you need to prepare yourself."

"That doesn't help me with the Dash situation," Danny grumbled, glaring into the forest.

"What does that aggressive brat know about anything?" Hades frowned in displeasure. "He's never known the pain of losing someone important to him." He stroke his chin, almost thoughtful in his silent pondering. "That could be changed though."

"Wouldn't that, I don't know, start a war if you kill the mortal parent of another god's child?" Danny gave his father a curious but wary look.

"Ah." Hades actually looked disappointed to be reminded of that fact. "But," he smiled in an obnoxious, all-knowing sort of way, "I think your sister will have the situation handled nicely."

"What do you mean?" Danny frowned, but the god had disappeared, melding into the shadows. He was alone in the forest. After taking a deep breath, he huffed it out in a sigh, deciding he should probably head back to camp. His stomach was starting to growl hungrily, and he hoped he hadn't missed dinner.


	8. Desiree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Desiree has a habit of having a few mishaps with her magic.  
> Characters: Desiree, Kitty, Ember, and Johnny
> 
> Demigod AU includes:  
> Day 5 Under Appreciated  
> Day 7 Crossover  
> Day 8 Desiree  
> Day 15 Unlucky  
> Day 24 Jack

"Try this one." Desiree held out a clay cup to one of the other two women sitting with her. They all had some free time from training before dinner, and she wanted to test out a few new magic potion ideas.

Kitty eyed it warily as she took the clay cup. The grayish liquid inside bubbled and gave off a slightly funky smell. Desiree couldn't fault her for not being eager to gulp down the potion. "Are you sure it's safe?" Kitty lifted one elegant eyebrow as she frowned.

Being from the Aphrodite cabin, Kitty and Ember were always cautious about anything that might affect their looks. Normally, Desiree didn't get along with the rest of the Aphrodite cabin, who were usually vapid and shallow. She knew that was a gross generalization, but many of them gave her sneers when she passed them. Ember told her it was only because the other children of Aphrodite were jealous of her since she was actually prettier than a lot of them. Kitty once said she heard whispers from the others who thought Desiree had used magic to enhance her appearance. Kitty had rolled her eyes, adding how obvious it was they were merely looking for excuses because they couldn't admit that Desiree was simply naturally beautiful.

Desiree had found out quickly after meeting them that Kitty and Ember didn't subscribe to the same ideals as most of the rest of the Aphrodite cabin. Maybe it was because of their home lives differing greatly from their brothers and sisters. Ember had already gone a quest just two years ago, and according to others, she had changed a great deal after she returned. She dressed in a more punkish style, which gained her the cold shoulder from most of her cabin, but she didn't seem to care.

"It should be," Desiree answered with only a hint of doubt.

"Well, as long as it doesn't do the same thing as what happened with Skulker," Ember said, leaning back on her hands.

Desiree flushed darkly at the reminder. "That was an accident!"

"But totally hilarious!" Ember laughed loudly. "I only wished we were allowed to have cell phones. I would have loved to snap a few pictures of that idiot as a teeny tiny green frog. Priceless!"

Desiree managed to crack a small smile, but she still felt horribly embarrassed by the mishap. "Anyway, it shouldn't do that to you. I'm positive of that."

"Well, if you say so." Kitty narrowed her eyes at Desiree for a moment longer. "Bottoms up, I guess." She press the clay cup to her lips then tossed her head back and chugged down the grayish goop in one gulp. "Ugh!" She shuddered and made a face. "That's pretty foul tasting!" She coughed, releasing a small puff of pink.

"Oh my-" Desiree's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped.

"Sweet!" Ember grinned excitedly. "Think you make something for me?"

Kitty glanced between them, oblivious to what happened after she drank the potion. "What? What happened? What did it do? Do I have warts? What is it?" Her voice became more panicked with each question.

Ember snickered and retrieved a small compact mirror from her pocket. She tossed it to Kitty, who gave it a confused look. "Check out your reflection," Ember explained with a mischievous grin on her impish face.

Kitty frowned. "You look like those obnoxious Hermes kids always playing pranks and trying to get away with stealing things," she grumbled but opened the compact mirror to check on her reflection. Her expression when she saw her reflection matched Desiree's reaction: wide shocked eyes and mouth hanging open like she was trying to catch some flies. "My hair is green!" She snapped her eyes to Desiree, who hunched up her shoulders with a sheepish but apologetic look. "Bright, neon green!"

"And it looks awesome! Do one for me!" Ember nudged at Desiree. "Maybe like a vibrant red. Or - Oh! Purple! Purple's nice. Oh! Oh! Blue! I've always loved blue."

Desiree laughed at Ember's excitement. At least the potion wasn't a total failure. Sometimes when she tried them, they seemed to have unforeseen consequences so she tried to be careful about them. "It should wash out within a few days. If you don't like it," she told Kitty, hoping the daughter of Aphrodite wouldn't hate her for accidentally dying her hair. Or worse, throw a hissy fit about how it turned her ugly and she would never make anyone fall in love with her now.

A whistle caught the attention of the three women. When they turned their heads, they saw a son of Hermes stop to stare at them. Desiree recognized him at once with his dusty blond hair reaching to his shoulders. He wore the usual orange camp shirt and a pair of shorts like he was going to enjoy a day at the beach. But hanging much too big on his frame was a black leather biker jacket. Johnny was often referred to as Johnny thirteen for his rotten luck.

"Looking good, Kitty," Johnny said, one corner of his mouth curling up in an appreciative grin.

Kitty snapped the compact mirror closed and sniffed at his comment. "Don't forget I could make you run through camp naked if I decided to use my charm speak."

"I'll do it if you won't," Ember said with a wicked expression, which had Johnny backing up a step or three away from their little group.

"Hey, there's no need for that." Johnny held up his hands like he was surrendering to them. "I just wanted to compliment the lady. The green hair is a good look." An easy smile returned to his face as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his bike jacket. "Makes you look less phony than those other Aphrodite kids. See ya around." He turned on his heels and kept walking past them.

Ember rolled her eyes. "Boys."

"Hm." Kitty looked thoughtful, tapping the compact mirror to her chin. "Maybe I'll keep the look."

Desiree shared a look with Ember. Then they both burst into giggles as a blush exploded onto Kitty's face. Maybe as a daughter of Hecate, she didn't have many friends, but the ones she did have were the only ones she needed.


	9. Time Travel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: It is a lonely life when you never know how long you will be in one spot at any given time.  
> Characters: Clockwork and Danny
> 
> Timewalker AU includes:  
> Day 9 Time Travel  
> Day 23 Clockwork

He sat at a table outside the small coffee shop with a book held in one hand and occasionally sipping his coffee in the mug he held with the other. He gave the illusion of being absorbed in his book, but his attention was focused on something else. Three children were walking down the street, laughing after one of them told a joke, an old handheld videogame in one of their hands. He recognized all three of them at once, but it still felt strange to see them. They were nine years old right now, but only yesterday, he was at the hospital staring at the boy, currently surrounded by his friends, in the nursery where they kept newborn babies.

"It was so cool!" said the boy as he passed the man's table. His freckles hadn't completely faded yet, and he had a gap between his upper teeth where he had lost a tooth early that week. "I got to fly a space simulation." He grinned proudly. "I totally aced it."

"Lucky." The girl huffed a grumbling sigh. "I got stuck going to a dumb dollhouse museum with my mom. It was the worst!"

The man smiled in amusement as he set the mug down on the table. It happened as fast as the blink of an eye. One second he was outside the coffee shop. Then he was tucked away into the corner of a laboratory, watching the boy, now fourteen, pulling on a white and black jumpsuit. The shift in time was always a bit disorienting, and it took him a moment to catch up with what was happening.

"I always kind of wondered what might be there, on the other side," the boy said, his voice filled with wonder and curiosity. He stepped into the machine his parents had built into the wall of the laboratory.

Ah, that was all he needed to hear to know when and where he had ended up in time. He could easily stop what was to come and save the boy from great pain. But if he did that, it would drastically change the future. He knew he was sacrificing the boy's carefree and innocent life, but the boy would become a vital part of shaping the future, though he would suffer tragedy in the times to come. The boy stepped farther into the machine, and in a few moments, the bright flash of green filled the laboratory. The boy screamed in agony, and his friends stood with panicked looks on their wide eyed faces before they rushed to help their friend as the light began to fade from the machine.

He was allowed to stay until his friends helped the boy out of the machine, the first step on the boy's long road to becoming a hero. The snowy white hair slowly faded back to the usual raven color. Then the scene dissolved, but he was certain the boy had lifted his gaze and stared at him before he could fully disappear.

The world came back to him, and he was lounging at a picnic table in the park. It was a nice day, close to summer but still chilly enough that most people didn't bother to loiter around in the park for long. His gaze swept around, seeing hardly another soul strolling the park's paths.

"I've seen you before."

The voice brought his attention around to the man sitting across from him. And he _was_ a man now. The baby fat that lingered on his face as a teenager had finally given way to hard, strong lines. His thin, lanky frame had filled out from years of fighting ghosts and training his human form, and now he had broad shoulders and buff muscles. His bright blue eyes hardened in a glare, and they looked old beyond their time from too many experiences wearing down on him.

The man shrugged. "I'm no one special."

"You never age," the hero insisted. "I've seen you since I was little, over twenty years now, and you've never changed, not even a little. It's like no time has passed for you. You've been there, helping when I needed it, and other times just simply watching. Why? What interest do you have in me?"

He frowned, turned his gaze away as he leaned folded arms on the table. "Danny," it was his first time speaking the name, or at least he thought it was, "I walk time. I have no control over it, though I do know of things that will happen. I see what paths time would follow in that instant if certain choices are made. I don't know why I've been drawn to you, but it seems you are vital in creating peace. I suppose it's my job to ensure you walk the correct path."

Hearing it out loud, it sounded rather crazy, but luckily, Danny had seen enough crazy in his young life to believe him. Danny frowned, his shoulders seeming to slump half an inch like more of the world's weight now rested upon his shoulders. It wasn't fair. Not even slightly. For someone so young to have so much hardship. But he would be able to do it in the end. He still had allies he could gather against the evils he would face.

"Do you at least have a name I can call you?" Danny quirked a curious eyebrow.

A smile tugged at his mouth as he bowed his head. "I suppose Clockwork will do. Not many have reason to call me by a name."

"If I call it, will you come?"

Clockwork lifted his head, blinking in surprise. "It-" He frowned, his brow creasing. "It doesn't always work like that. I don't exactly control it. Time pulls me from one point to another at random. I could be there for five seconds or five months." He lowered his gaze. It was a lonely life, but he managed to distract himself from it by focusing on Danny's life and the great things he would accomplish.

Danny took his hand, and Clockwork jerked his head up again, staring at him with surprise and confusion. The young hero placed something in his hand, and when he looked down, his fingers slightly curled around the device, he saw it looked like a wristwatch.

"For communicating," Danny said, shrugging as he looked away. "I, uh, have a receiver." He held up his own arm, showing off a similar watch on his wrist. "I don't know much about this whole time walking thing. But I do know you seem to be on my side, so I-" He shrugged again. "I want to be able to keep in touch. Maybe you can't control it, but if you're supposed to be watching me, maybe your time walking abilities will pull you to me if I call for your help."

Clockwork stared at the watch in his hand. It was the first gift of any sort he had received. He nodded his head jerkily as his hand closed around the watch. "I'll fight my hardest to reach you if you ever need my help."

Danny smiled brightly, some of the pain and suffering fading from his eyes so he actually looked his age.


	10. Spectra and Moms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Sometimes, all a mother needed was someone outside the family to tell her problems.  
> Characters: Maddie and Spectra

"It's not like I don't love him or anything. Because I do." Maddie set down her mug of coffee with a sigh. "And after this long, I'm not dumb enough to think love is easy and there won't be problems we have to work out. It's just-" She sighed again, shaking her head. "It gets frustrating sometimes when he's forgetful. I circle the date on the calendar. I write that it's our anniversary in big letters. I tape pictures from our wedding on the calendar, but it's like he doesn't even _look_ at the calendar. Ever. And it's not like I want to be some overbearing wife. I just want him to remember without me telling him a thousand times. I want him to at least get me a gift to celebrate our anniversary. It doesn't even have to be something big and expensive. It just has to be something to let me know he thought about it beyond picking up some two dollar box of chocolates at a gas station."

The woman sitting with her at the kitchen table nodded her head. "Perfectly understandable, my dear." She laced her fingers with the long fake nails painted bright red, almost matching the bright orangey red of her strangely styled hair. "A woman likes to be romanced. Marriage is all very good, but sometimes a touch of spice is needed to shake up the everyday monotony."

"Yes! Exactly. See. You get it, Spectra." Maddie nodded as she sipped from the blue mug. "It's not like I'm asking for him to do something overly romantic every day. Just, you know, every once and a while it would be nice. I love the work we do, but a night off to be romantic isn't going to kill us. And we're still young! A night out dancing. Maybe go to a karaoke bar. You know, back in college, Jack and I used to go to this karaoke bar near campus with Vlad. We could spend all night there singing songs." She smiled fondly, reminiscing about long ago days.

"Vlad used to sing?" Spectra lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "I can hardly imagine that."

"Oh, you've really missed out then." Maddie laughed lightly. "He could move you to tears with some songs he sang. Ah, but I guess he doesn't really sing all that much anymore." She frowned as she rested her chin in her hand. She considered giving Vlad a call and seeing if he wanted to join her and Jack for a karaoke night sometime, but Vlad was always busy nowadays.

"So disappointing," Spectra agreed, but the corner of her mouth curled up slightly like she was plotting something diabolical.

"I hope you're not thinking of doing something bad." Maddie frowned sternly, her violet eyes narrowing a touch. "I will hunt you down if you do anything to Vlad. I have a bunch of newly developed weapons in the lab, and I'm pretty sure most of them work."

Spectra shook her head, which was tilted just enough to catch sight of her bright green eyes beyond her sunglasses. "Oh, I would never cross you. I've seen you in action. Any ghost thinking to tangle with you would be crazy."

"So I have a reputation among ghosts?" Maddie smiled proudly. "Oh, looks like I finished my coffee. I'll have to brew another pot." She stood and carried her mug over to the counter then got to work fixing another pot of coffee.

"Quite the reputation," Spectra agreed. "Between you and you son, the Fenton family is developing quite the name for themselves in the Ghost Zone."

Maddie turned a frown of disapproval on the ghost as her eyebrow arched upward. "Nothing about my husband?"

"Oh, he has a reputation for being dangerous." Spectra's mouth thinned gravely. "Perhaps the living consider him a buffoon, but his clumsiness can play to his advantage. You can never plan for how his clumsiness will affect a battle. And if you've threatened harm to his family?" Spectra released a low whistle. "You don't want to mess with him then."

"Good." Maddie's frown turned into a proud smile. Jack had his faults, like his forgetfulness and his overexcitement, but it angered her to hear people talking about him like he was some sort of laughingstock.

"But speaking of our favorite little half ghost hero, how is Danny?" Spectra rested her chin on her laced hands with a curious lift of her eyebrows.

"If this is some ploy," Maddie said, narrowing her eyes as she pointed a spoon at the ghost, "to get some dirt on my son so you can use it against him later, I will be _very_ displeased with you."

"No, no, of course not." Spectra smiled pleasantly, but Maddie eyed her suspiciously. "I'm just here to listen to you talk about anything bothering you. I was a fairly good psychologist when I was alive, after all."

Maddie poured herself a second mug of coffee. Then she carried it over to the table and rejoined the ghost. "Yes, you've been a great help listening to me complain. I don't really have a lot of girl friends to talk to about things. There's my sister, of course, but she usually always tells me to just leave Jack when I complain about him. And well, I can't really discuss this sort of stuff with Jazz. Even if she is an aspiring psychologist herself."

"Sometimes you just need an outsider to talk to and unleash some of those pent up emotions." Spectra nodded in understanding. "But no, I was genuinely concerned. It can't be easy for you being the mother of a superhero."

"Oh, it certainly isn't easy." Maddie drank her coffee, remembering all the times Danny would return home after curfew or looking beat up, sometimes both. He always passed it off with a grin and said something like, "You should see the other guy," or, "But at least I caught the ghost." Sometimes she worried about him not thinking enough about his own wellbeing, but she was a mother. Worrying was in the job description. "But I'm also very proud of him. How many mothers can say their son is a hero?" She smiled fondly as she remembered helping him clean up his injuries and he would tell her about what ghost he faced off against that night. She had missed getting to bond with him ever since he became a teenager and seemed to pull away from her. Now, it was like they were getting the chance to rediscover the bond between them.


	11. Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Danny regrets asking about Vlad when the alien answers his questions.  
> Characters: Danny, Vlad, and Maddie
> 
> Space Frontier AU includes:  
> Day 1 Space  
> Day 4 Transformation  
> Day 12 Death  
> Day 16 Stuck  
> Day 19 Wulf

"In my language, this is called krof," Vlad said, the English words sounding strange as they rolled off his tongue. He held up the silver fork with which he had eaten lunch. Their meal wasn't much, and he stared at what remained on Danny's tray with a hunger in his eyes. But he turned his gaze away as he picked up another utensil sitting next to his own tray. "And this is efink."

"Krof and Efink," Danny repeated, struggling to wrap his mouth around the unfamiliar words. His father slipped in and out of the alien language with ease when he and Vlad conversed with each other, but Danny didn't have his father's way with languages other than English. In high school, he barely scraped a passing grade in Spanish. "What's this?" Danny held up the spoon he used to scoop up the last bite of his lunch.

"Noops." Vlad smiled in appreciation.

"Noups?"

Vlad shook his head and pronounced it again much slower. "Noops."

"Aren't you supposed to be helping him learn our language?" his mother asked as she joined them at the table with her own lunch. Her goggles sat atop her head, pushing her brunette hair back out of her face.

"He was just teaching me a few things. Anyway, it seems he has a decent understanding of our language already." Danny shrugged and stuffed the last spoonful of his lunch into his mouth. They were only about a day away from Dembala, which was good since their supplies were running low, and Danny wasn't sure how much longer they could survive on such meager meals. His stomach grumbled unhappily, and he eyed his mother's lunch with the same hungriness Vlad had his last bite only moments ago. None of them wanted to complain, but they were all starting to feel the pain of the small rations .

"Some. Yes," Vlad agreed awkwardly. "But speaking is much more diff-" His brow creased in his effort to recall how to pronounce the word.

"Difficult," Danny supplied.

"Yes. Diff-eye-colt."

Danny bit down on his tongue, holding in a small snicker. But really, the alien was doing quite well in picking up how to speak their language. Leaning his head on one hand, Danny stared at the alien. He sat ramrod straight, and when he ate lunch, he took great care to eat the small portion like it was regal feast. For all the talking they had done so far, they hadn't learned much about the alien.

"So what exactly were you doing on that planet we last visited?" Danny asked, lifting his eyebrows with a growing interest. "The place looked pretty deserted." They had left their spaceship unattended, since the planet seemed uninhabited, to gather some samples for his parents research, so it would be easy for the alien to sneak onboard unseen. "You were pretty badly beat up too." Not fatally injured, but Danny doubted the blood loss would have made for a fun experience for the alien.

Vlad lowered his gaze, and from the sadness reflecting in them, Danny got the sense he probably shouldn't have asked. Tugging down the zipper of his flight jumpsuit, Vlad pulled out a locket then lifted it over his head. After opening it, he showed it to them, revealing a black and white picture of Vlad on one side and lovely young woman on the other side. She appeared to be a few years younger than Danny. Her braided hair draped over one shoulder, and despite her elegant pose, her eyes held a playfulness to them.

"She's beautiful," his mother said, leaning on the table for a better look.

"Retsis ym si ehs." A light flush rose to Vlad's cheek. "Sorry. I meant. She is my sister. We fled when the home we made was attacked." Vlad frowned, his brow drawing together as he stared at the picture of his sister. "I tried to keep her safe, but-" He closed his eyes, bowing his head as his hand closed tightly around the locket. "I could not protect her."

Danny tried not to gasp out loud, but he had the feeling of being punched hard in the stomach then dunked in a vat of freezing cold water. Vlad's sister was too young to lose her life. It seemed so unfair that she had to die. "Sorry," Danny mumbled, dropping his gaze. "I didn't-"

"I'm so sorry, Vlad," his mother said gently, laying a hand upon his arm. "I wish we could have been there to do something to help you."

"It is not your fault. The R'Theon do not give up their hunt easily."

"The R'Theon were after you?" Danny's mouth hung open. He only heard stories about the R'Theon race, but they were said to be cruel mercenaries who hunted any prize for the right price. They never gave up on a prey until they captured it. Never. If the R'Theon were after Vlad, it was only a matter of time before they tracked him down to their spaceship. Danny swallowed unpleasantly.

Vlad turned his troubled gaze onto Danny then to Maddie. "I under- If you want, I shall part with you."

"No!" His mother gave the alien a stern stare as her grip tightened on his arm. "We don't abandon those in need. And we certainly aren't going to leave you on your own to face the R'Theon."

Vlad's mouth pressed into a grim smile, but his eyes held great sorrow. "Uoy knaht. Oga sega dnik ruoy gnitsurtsid ni rorre evarg a edam evah yam elpoep ym."

"Ah, sorry. Didn't catch that." Danny only knew a few words of Vlad's language, and not well, though he thought maybe there was a thank you in his words, somewhere.

"Nothing." His smile reached a little to his eyes. "A simple thank you for your kindness. I appro- Your help. It is welcomed."

"We are more than happy to help." His mother smiled as she patted the alien's arm. Her eyes held a pain Danny hadn't seen before, but he didn't think it was the right time to ask about it.

Danny nodded as he turned back to Vlad. "Anything we can do to help, we will."

"Thank you." Vlad bowed his head. "You have been most kind to me."


	12. Childhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Danny doesn't like going through embarrassing pictures of his childhood.  
> Characters: Danny, Jazz, and Danielle

Danny walked into the kitchen, rubbing at his tired eyes and thanking any deity listening it was a Saturday morning. Actually, it was probably closer to afternoon, but since he spent the majority of his night hunting down annoying little ghosts playing pranks all over town, he thought he deserved the chance to sleep in for once. He yanked open the refrigerator door, ready to grab the carton of milk and start chugging it, something his mother would highly disapprove of him doing, but she and his father were off at a convention for the weekend, so she would never have to know. The open mouth of the carton was almost to his lips when giggles stopped him.

Lowering the carton of milk, Danny turned around as a frown settled upon his face. His sister was home, but he figured she would be up in her room studying all weekend until he went in there to pester her. He was her brother, after all. It was his duty to remind her she was still a teenager and should cut loose a little every once and while. Just like it was her duty to kick his butt into gear when he put off his homework for too long. Sometimes it was annoying, but they both knew they only did it out of love.

Sitting at the table, Jazz pointed out something in the album sitting open before her, and the two women giggled again. Dani - or Elle as she preferred to go by recently - tossed her head back in laughter, almost wheezing from how hard she laughed, holding her sides with both arms wrapped around her body and two seconds away from toppling out of the chair. Danny nearly crushed the milk cartoon in his hand, knowing without even having to ask at what they were looking. He shoved the carton back into the refrigerator then slammed the door shut. The noise hardly disrupted the two women as they continued glancing through the pictures in the photo album. His face reddened with each giggle and snicker leaving the women.

"Jazz," Danny growled warningly, and his sister lifted her head, blinking innocently at him.

"Oh, lighten up, Danny," Jazz said with a teasing grin. "Elle just wanted to look through some of our old photo albums."

"But those are really embarrassing!" Danny complained, trying to cover the current page with his hands. They were still in the toddler section of the albums, and between his spread fingers, he could see the picture of him sitting naked in the sink covered in what he thought was probably jam.

"Danny," Elle frowned at him, the amusement dying in her eyes which were too similar to his own, "I only asked because I never had any of this." She gestured to the photo album. "I might share your DNA and some of your likes and dislikes and interests, but I don't share any of your memories. I never got to have a childhood."

Danny stared at his clone then with a heavy sigh, he took a seat the table with them. "I know," he mumbled, frowning. He would never understand what it was like for Elle, being created in a lab and waking up at the age of twelve. He got to grow up from a baby to teen hood with all the memories that came between while Elle had none of that. "But does it have to be _my_ childhood you look through?" Looking through all those pictures were just plain embarrassing for him!

"It's not just your childhood," Jazz pointed out as she turned the album around and tapped at a picture of her with a really bad hairdo. Her cheeks turned a few shades of pink. "We were laughing at some of my embarrassing moments too."

"Oh." Danny flushed with new embarrassment as he reached up to rub at the back of his neck. "Well, now I feel stupid."

"I think you need to check that inflated ego sometimes, cousin." Elle grinned impishly at him, and Danny reached across the table to ruffle her hair with a big grin on his face.


	13. GiW

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: A new threat hits Amity Park, but Danny gets a little held up on his hero duties.  
> Characters: Danny and the GiW

Danny kept his head down as he sat on the ground, his hands tied behind his back and his ankles crossed with his knees raised. He glanced up from under the white bangs of his hair, watching the man circling around him. The perfectly white suit, neatly pressed without a single wrinkle irritated him as much as the man himself. Finally, the agent stopped before him then slowly crouched down, arms balancing upon his knees. His head tilted down enough to reveal deep brown eyes behind his sunglasses. No hint of a smug smirk was upon his face.

"So you're the famous Phantom," the agent said, his dark face neutral in expression. "I never imagined you were actually just a kid."

Danny lifted his head enough to shoot a glare, his green eyes flashing brightly as a pain stabbed at his head where he had struck it hard. Blood matted some of his hair and dried down the side of his face. "And I never imagined the Guys in White was made up of idiots."

The agent actually laughed, which startled Danny. The Guys in White had to have some sort of rule in their book against laughing. It didn't exactly fall into their whole "super serious" attitude. The agent's movements were faster than Danny would have thought. His expression turned serious like a switch had flipped in his brain. Then his fist slammed into the side of Danny's head, knocking him onto his side with a grunt of pain. His hand closed around a chunk of Danny's hair then jerked back the half ghost's head as he leaned in close enough for Danny to smell the cheesy burrito on his breath.

"We managed to catch you, didn't we?"

Danny considered spitting in the agent's face, but he realized it would do him little go in this situation. "Right. Brilliant geniuses there." He glared back firmly, proving he wasn't the slightest bit intimidated by the agent. "You caught me. Congrats. But have you forgotten the psychotic maniac terrorizing the town? I'M," he shouted in the agent's face, "NOT THE ENEMY."

"You're a rogue vigilante who thinks laws don't apply to him." The agent shoved Danny hard against the street. "We're prepared for any threat to the town. We don't require the aid of a little punk kid."

"Hey!" Danny shouted defensively. "I'm seventeen. I'm not a kid."

"I won't deny you've got guts. But you're still a kid and a menace to society." The agent stood, hauling Danny to his feet. "We're going to lock you up tight and take care of the other monsters."

Danny gritted his teeth in frustration, his jaw aching painfully. "Sorry, but-" An explosion nearby cut him off, the force blowing them back. The agent hit the ground and rolled while Danny slammed back into the wall of a building. The structure cracked behind him, and Danny crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll. As he pushed himself up, he gasped and coughed, his ribs aching, maybe even broken. The world blurred before him then slowly came back into focus. The agent remained down, unmoving, with too much debris scattered around him. Already other agents were coming to free their boss from the rubble.

Danny didn't have time to focus on the Guys in White. He still had a fifty foot super powerful enemy to deal with before anymore of the town was destroyed. Dropping his gaze to his hands, he almost smirked to see the blast had somehow severed the cuffs binding him. Good. He was going to need his hands to fight. Climbing to his feet, he glared up at the buildings, catching glimpses of his enemy, the self proclaimed Ghost King. His eyes hardened in a glare, his knuckles cracking as he curled his hands into fists. This was his town, and he would protect it at all costs. He shot into the air, soaring toward his enemy.


	14. Unlucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Maybe sometimes, bad luck can lead to something good.  
> Characters: Johnny 13, Skulker, Ember, and Kitty
> 
> Demigod AU includes:  
> Day 5 Under Appreciated  
> Day 7 Crossover  
> Day 8 Desiree  
> Day 15 Unlucky  
> Day 24 Jack

Bad luck followed him like a dark shadow, so it never surprised him when most people in camp kept their distance from him. Who wanted to be anywhere near someone who would probably cause them to get into a terrible accident? If they weren't required to be in their cabins by curfew, his cabin mates would probably ask him to sleep outside. The idea even sometimes seemed more preferable to being stuck in a crowded cabin. Sleeping under the stars had a sort of nice appeal when the rest of the time he lived in the clogged up city where the smog of daily life tended to blot out the night sky.

"Where is it?" demanded the bigger man as he gave Johnny a hard shove, nearly pushing him to the ground. "I know you took it."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Why? Because I'm a son of Hermes and all of his sons are thieves?"

Skulker's eyes narrowed darkly. "You all think you're really sly with stealing from everyone. But I _saw_ you take it. Now give it back!"

Johnny grumbled as he shoved his hand into his pocket then threw the desired object at Skulker. The thin band of metal that would fit around his wrist twisted in the air, reflecting the sunlight off it as its shape changed. Before Skulker could react to grab it out of the air, the shield smashed into his face, knocking him to the ground with a thud. If that wasn't unlucky enough, it happened to be at the exact moment some of the Aphrodite children walked by, two in particular: Ember and Kitty. Johnny could feel his cheeks warming as he stared at Kitty, who was laughing with Ember as she pushed back a lock of her brightly colored green hair. She looked really pretty, but since the day he commented on her new hair color, he hadn't had much of the chance to talk to her again.

"Nice one, Skulker," Ember said, still laughing in amusement. "And once again, I wish I had a cell phone to snap some pictures of that."

Skulker growled as he sat up and glared daggers at Johnny. "I have about twenty arrows all with your name on them, Johnny 13!"

"Hey," Johnny held up his hands defensively, "that was totally not my fault. You asked for it back. All I did was give it to you."

"Not your fault," Skulker parroted with a snort. "Right. Your bad luck had nothing to do with it." He got on his feet and grabbed the front of Johnny's leather jacket, yanking him forward a step. "I'm going to pound you into the ground for making me look like a fool in front of Ember."

Johnny almost laughed out loud. Skulker? Had a crush on Ember? It was hilarious! Especially when he thought about how the two of them never seemed to get along. "Is that why you write all those awful poems?" The laugh bubbled out of him before he could stop it. "Oh! I should have seen that coming. Why else would you write such bad poems? Though I guess your dad is known for his horrible poetry." He bit his lip trying to keep back his laughter. "But wow! Ember!" He practically shouted the name. "I can't believe you like her! Isn't she completely out of your league? Why would she fall for you? You don't have anything in common."

Skulker's face reddened with anger, his jaw clenching as rage burned in his eyes. Whoops! Johnny realized he probably should have kept his big mouth shut.

"What?" Ember's voice interrupted them before Skulker could throw a punch.

Stunned silence followed as Skulker kept his hold on the front of Johnny's jacket and his fist raised in preparation for punching. Their conversation clearly hadn't gone unheard by the two women who stared at them in utter disbelief. Skulker shoved Johnny away from him, making the son of Hermes stumble over his feet and hit the ground hard.

"E-Ember!" Skulker tried, rather poorly, to act naturally as a flush crept over his cheeks. He raked a hand through his hair, mussing up the usual Mohawk he wore.

Johnny almost wanted to laugh again at Skulker's reaction to having his secret crush revealed, but he sometimes got flustered the same way when he was around Kitty. His gaze darted toward Kitty, and his own cheeks warmed at the sight of her. His insides seemed to be doing some crazy acrobatics too.

"Come on, you bonehead." Ember walked over and grabbed Skulker's arm. "Let's leave those lovebirds to themselves."

"Ember!" Kitty protested, but her cheeks burned brightly as Ember grinned over her shoulder and gave a little wave as she dragged Skulker off with her after he snatched up his shield. "I don't think getting on Skulker's bad side is a wise idea." Kitty walked over to him and knelt down beside him.

Johnny licked his lips nervously. As much as he liked Kitty, he always figured it was sort of hopeless between them. She wouldn't want a boyfriend who would constantly bring her bad luck. And children of Aphrodite could pretty much get anyone they wanted. Why would Kitty care for a thieving son of Hermes? "Yeah, well," he shrugged, throwing on a cocky grin, "he's nothing I can't handle."

Kitty rolled her eyes with an amused smile playing upon her face, but she didn't get up and leave, so Johnny took that as a good sign.


	15. Stuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Reaching the planet of Dembala, Danny and Vlad head off to pick up a load of food to restock the ship.  
> Characters: Danny, Vlad, and Paulina
> 
> Space Frontier AU includes:  
> Day 1 Space  
> Day 4 Transformation  
> Day 12 Death  
> Day 16 Stuck  
> Day 19 Wulf

"I promise I land spaceships better than that," Danny said, scratching at his rosy cheek. To say he was embarrassed was an understatement after the jerky landing he made, which probably gave a few of them whiplash from all the hard braking up to the dock. "But I guess we're going to be stuck here for a while." His blue eyes swept around the street they were walking along, taking in the vibrant colors of the buildings and strange plants, and the even stranger residents of Dembala. Aliens from all around seemed to gather on the planet, a final stopover before a dead zone of space. Here, they would be able to refuel and restock supplies before heading out again to continue with his parents' research.

"The landing," the man, alien actually, beside him said, "could be better." A soft smile graced his face. "Less bumpy would be good."

Danny blushed a little darker. "I was really good at landing in the simulations!" He frowned, dropping his gaze to his hands. Real life was certainly different from the simulations.

"Takes time. Practice." Vlad dropped a hand upon Danny's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze.

Danny shook his head with half a smile. "You sure are getting good at speaking our language." He gave a quick glance around, but the other aliens and humans on the street were too wrapped up in their own lives to pay any attention to them. "You've been keeping up the human appearance for quite a while now. Do you ever need to drop? Does it eat up a lot of energy or anything?" Since the big reveal about what happened to his sister, Vlad had opened up a bit more about himself, but they were still in the dark about his alien race, except for his father knowing Vlad's language.

"At night," Vlad explained as they stopped at one of the shops along the street to pick up some food supplies, "I drop it. Yes, it gets tiring to be like this for long periods. You are," his mouth twitched somewhat, "always curious about me."

Danny snapped his gaze away, his face feeling a touch warmer. "Well, o-of course! I mean, if you're going to be on our ship, we should get to know each other. And I never even knew that an alien like you existed until you sneaked onto our ship."

Vlad nodded. "Then you return favor?" His eyebrows lifted, curiosity shining in the blue eyes of his human disguise. "I should know you too."

"Well, I'm not exactly the most exciting person," Danny said with an awkward laugh.

"Perhaps to yourself."

"Hello, and welcome to Fresh Foods," greeted the woman behind the counter. She wore a friendly smile on her pretty face, but her emerald eyes held a bit of boredom. Her hair draped over one shoulder, the black tentacles quivering every now and then. Her pink top held a name tag on it reading PAULINA in bold black lettering. Back at the academy, Danny would have drooled over a woman like her, alien or not, but he was also fully aware of her alien race. His eyes kept drawing back to her twitching hair, and he swallowed nervously, knowing if he angered her, those tentacles could not only strangle him but inject a lethal poison into him.

"Busy day," Danny joked since they were the only ones to come into the shop. Paulina showed little amusement as she leaned on the counter, waiting for him to either buy something or leave. Well, at least he knew he was still striking out with people. "We have an order for pickup." He pulled out the slip from his pocket and passed it to Paulina. His mother had taken care of making arrangements for their order to be ready by the time Danny and Vlad arrived to pick it up from the shop.

Paulina plucked the slip from his hand and gave it a quick glance over. "Six hundred. I hope you brought your own cart to take it back to your ship."

"Yup." Danny nodded over to Vlad, who leaned on the handle of the cart they brought with them.

"Good. This way then." Paulina led them to the back area where the big orders were stored until picked up.

Their order was right up front, and Danny and Vlad loaded the boxes of food supplies onto their cart. Four heavy boxes in all, but they would manage the trip back to the ship easily with the cart. When they left the back room, Danny pulled out the money for the order and left it on the counter for Paulina. She made a quick count to be sure it was all there then smiled up at him as she put it away in the cash register drawer.

"Happy doing business with you. Come by again for all your Fresh Foods needs."

Danny returned the smile. "We will!" He gave a wave as he left the shop with Vlad.

"Is that how your kind flirts?"

The question caught him off guard, and Danny stumbled as they walked back toward the ship. "I wasn't flirting!" His cheeks felt hot, his blush extending to the tips of his ears.

Vlad's eyebrows rose up a touch. "Really? It seemed you were interested in her."

Danny wanted to bury his face in his hands. He supposed the only good thing about the situation was that his parents were there too. "This is embarrassing." He rubbed at his forehead. "Even if I _was_ interested in her, I wouldn't stand a chance. A guy like me doesn't even rate a blip on the radar of a woman like her. And anyway, even if we're stuck here for a while, it's hardly enough time to start a relationship with anyone. I hear long distance relationships on a planet is difficult. I imagine relationships across galaxies are next to impossible."

"Well," Vlad reached up to stroke his chin as he pondered, "you cannot know for certain unless you try. Yes?"

"Now I'm getting relationship advice from you?" Danny groaned internally as Vlad gave a light chuckle.


	16. Grown up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Danny returns to Amity Park after college.  
> Characters: Danny and Dan

He had returned to Amity Park every once and while, holidays and such, during the last few years, but it felt different this time with a certain finality to it. Stepping off the bus into the bright sunshine, he took in the town he grew up in that had changed since he left for college, but at the time, it hadn't seemed to change at all. He was back now though, at the age of twenty-five, an adult with responsibilities, and yet he still felt like a child sometimes. Like he was in that movie _Big_ and he woke up as a grown one day, but he was still a child on the inside.

Amity Park seemed to have survived in his absence, and Danny turned his gaze to the skies as he walked away from the bus stop. Leaving for college, he had some major reservations about disappearing and leaving the town unprotected. Anxiety filled his freshman year, and he kept wanting to slip out at night and fly back to Amity Park to check on things.

Seeing a blur of black and white soaring overhead, Danny smiled to himself. Back then, he couldn't believe he would ever agree to the arrangement. It was ridiculous to think a homicidal maniac would be able to protect Amity Park. They butted heads over the idea for months when it was first brought up as a possible solution, a way to allow Danny a chance at normalcy and to attend college without being interrupted by superhero duties.

Danny barely reached the end of the block when someone appeared at his side. He had caught up in height, but the other man still beat him in terms of a big, muscular frame. His body was still lean but no longer as awkward and wiry as when he was a teenager. His blue eyes rolled as he shook his head when he noticed the other man had ditched the lame mullet ponytail. At least Dan was smart enough to appear in a human disguise.

"Back so soon?" A smirk twitched on the man's face. "Couldn't give it up in the end?"

Danny snorted. "Says the one who came begging to me to let him replace me while I was at college."

Dan nearly choked, his arms dropped from being folded behind his head. "I didn't _beg_!"

Danny grinned. "You can call it whatever you like, but it was totally begging."

With a huff, Dan folded his arms across his chest. "I was merely being _nice_ and offering you a way out so you could go off and do the college thing."

"Oh, yes, and I thank you ever so much for that." Danny frowned slightly as he eyed the ghost in disguise beside him. "You didn't do anything in my absence that's going to make me regret agreeing to this whole thing, did you?"

"You really have such little faith in me?" Dan gasped, showing offense at the suggestion he would do something of which Danny wouldn't approve. When Danny glared darkly at him, Dan tried to ignore it but eventually caved with a sigh. "Okay. I don't want you to start yelling. We're on a public street, after all. You don't want to draw attention to us or anything."

"Tell me what you did before I blast you," Danny threatened lowly, his eyes very close to flashing green.

"Ugh, fine," Dan grumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he hunched up his shoulders. "Most of your common enemies know the truth, but as I'm sure you know, they all played along with the switch." His gaze flicked toward Danny, who nodded unsurprised by the comment. His impatience was growing though. Dan reached up and raked a hand through his raven hair. "Everyone else, though, thinks I'm you. Well, the Phantom you."

"Are you trying to get me to kill you with this insanely slow reveal?" Danny's mouth pursed tightly as his eyes narrowed a fraction.

Dan averted his gaze. "I may have hooked up with someone about eight months ago."

"Dan!" Danny growled as he punched his evil future in the arm.

"Ow!" Dan rubbed at the sore spot on his arm, wearing a frown upon his face. "I guess I don't need to ask if you've been keeping up with any training."

Danny ran a hand over his face. This was not the news he expected to hear upon his arrival home. "Oh, please tell me it's with one of the ghosts that knows you're not me."

"It's, um," Dan rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck and pointedly refused to look at Danny, "a human."

Danny punched him again, harder this time as his anger increased. "What were you thinking?"

"I don't know." Dan shrugged, wincing at the throb in his arm. "I rescued him a few times, and things just sort of led from one thing to another. Next thing I know, we're actually dating."

Danny wanted to scream to the heavens. He supposed he should be happy Dan hadn't jeopardized his identity during his absence, but this seemed to be just as big a nightmare to Danny. He worried about Dan going on a crazy homicidal spree, leaving death and destruction in his wake. It never occurred to him that Dan might actually develop feelings for someone, especially a human. If he was honest with himself, he thought Dan was incapable of love entirely. Danny stared at his evil future like he was seeing him in a new light. Dan had grown a heart since Danny went to college?

"You have to tell him the truth," Danny said flatly as they neared his parents' house. He had an apartment lined up, but until his furniture and things arrived, he planned to stay with his parents.

"Uh," Dan's brow scrunched up in his confusion, "I thought you had that whole thing about _not_ revealing your secret identity."

"No, I mean you have to tell him you aren't me. I can't go out on patrol and run into this guy if he thinks I'm you."

Dan's expression immediately twisted to grumpy, which was odd, and Danny nearly laughed at his response. "I wouldn't like him kissing you." His muscles tensed somewhat. "But he's probably going to be pissed at me for lying."

Danny reached over and patted him on the back. "Explain things to him. Uh," he thought for a moment, "tell him I was unable to keep up with my hero duties for whatever reason, make something up like I had to deal with something in the Ghost Zone or something, and you stepped in to protect the town. That's mostly true, except whatever excuse you decide to use. It's better that he knows instead of causing a whole bunch of confusion with two Phantoms around."

"Ugh!" Dan shrugged away from Danny's hand. "You go off to college for a while and come back being this stupid insightful grown up."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Did you think I went there to party?"

"Pretty much." Dan grinned, and Danny knew without a doubt his evil future would have done nothing but party if he was the one to go to college.


	17. Fantasy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: After years of being alone, Vlad receives a new partner, but he isn't entirely pleased with this arrangement.  
> Characters: Vlad, Jack, Danny, and Maddie

"There we are!"

Vlad lifted his head up and gazed down at the large man in the front courtyard. The man wiped sweat from his brow with a big beefy arm as he stared proudly at the new statue he had placed upon the pedestal. Then he crossed the stone walkway to another statue, a much older one with some weathering from the centuries of having stood there.

"Sorry it took me so long, buddy," the man said, patting the head of the statue. "I know you've been alone for a long time now, but I couldn't stand letting you be alone any longer." With one last pat and a smile, the man walked away to start on his usual daily chores around the temple.

Vlad snorted as he rested his head back against his folded arms. "I'm perfectly fine by myself, Jack," he muttered as he frowned at the sky. He didn't need another guardian spirit to do his job. How long had it been since his old partner faded out of existence after the destruction of her statue? A silver ear twitched as he tried to recall. Sometimes it felt like only yesterday, and other times it felt like eons ago. Time was hard to follow as a spirit, especially one as old as he. His heart ached dully as he remembered his old partner. She was a vision with sleek brunette hair and playful eyes. But her eye had always been on Jack, always wishing he could see them. Jack talked to them like he knew they were there, but as an adopted son, he didn't share the ability to see the guardian spirits of the temple where he lived.

"What's the matter?"

The sudden voice made him jerk in surprise, and Vlad blinked as a face appeared before him. A frown pulled across his face as he stared up at the youthful spirit. Nothing at all like his previous partner. Concern mixed with the playfulness of his green eyes. One white ear twitched, sticking out of the shock of snowy white hair. Vlad sat up quickly, putting some distance between them as he narrowed red eyes at the new spirit.

"You're what they sent?" Vlad wrinkled his nose, scowling unpleasantly. "You're but a child."

The young spirit frowned, almost pouted. "I may be young, but I can still be a good guardian spirit."

Vlad rolled his eyes. "You would have been better off at another temple if you wished to prove yourself." He frowned at the confusion scrunching up the young spirit's face. "Have you even looked around this place? It's a dying temple. The current caretaker doesn't even have an heir to take over when he dies, and he's not getting any younger. Almost thirty now, if I recall." Vlad scratched absently at his chin. How old was Jack now? He couldn't be any older than twenty-eight. "No heir, no visitors. The temple is losing money every day. Before long, we'll both fade out, and they'll probably turn this place into one of those fancy new hotels."

"That's not going to happen," the young fox spirit argued with a determined light in his eyes. "I'm going to prove you wrong."

Vlad shook his head, rolling his eyes at the young spirit. For a week, he watched from his perch on top of the roof of the temple as the young fox darted about, trying to help Jack. He yammered on so much Vlad wished he could hit a mute button on him. But no matter what he tried, the young fox couldn't get Jack's attention, and with only a few rare visitors coming to the temple, their days were filled with nothing to do.

"Still plan on proving me wrong?" Vlad asked, leaning his head in his hand as he stared down at the young fox.

White ears pressed flat against his head as the young spirit turned to glare up at him. "Just you watch!" The determination hadn't faded from his green eyes. But doubt flickered in his eyes. He clearly had no idea how to fulfill that promise. His hands balled into fists, squeezing around the material of his clothes. "If-" He frowned, hesitant about his question. "If he had a wife, would that help?"

Vlad arched an eyebrow but managed to hold back a laugh. "I'm sure a wife would make Jack happy, but I don't think that alone will change anything."

"You don't know!" His green eyes hardened again. "Have you even tried to do anything to help him?"

Vlad shrugged, his gaze turning dull with boredom. "Try if you like, but you're just going to end up disappointed. Jack spends most of his days here at the temple. He's hardly going to meet someone like that."

The spirit frowned, turning his gaze away to stare at the front of the temple where the stone walkway dropped into steep stairs. "Then we'll have to be a little more active in his love affairs."

Vlad didn't bother to ask, instead turning away to lay on his back and stare up the sky. Silence followed. After a few hours, he grew a little concerned. The young spirit wasn't a quiet one. Sitting up, Vlad glanced down at the courtyard, but the other guardian spirit was mysteriously absent.

"Whatever," he muttered, deciding it wasn't his concern if the young fox went off and did something stupid.

But the days slowly passed, turning into weeks. Vlad couldn't ignore the growing concern slowly gnawing at his sides. He left his perch on the rooftop and searched the grounds of the temple, but the young fox was gone. Standing at the top of the stairs, Vlad gazed down them to the street far below with a cold sinking feeling inside him. Was the young spirit stupid enough to leave the temple for such a long period of time? They could leave for short periods, visit spirits at other temples, but if they were away from a temple for too long, they risked fading away. Did the young fox not know about this? Vlad took a hesitant step forward then quickly backed a few paces away from the stairs. What did he care? If the young spirit was too stupid to know that, it wasn't Vlad's fault.

Nearly a month had passed since the spirit performed his little vanishing act, and Vlad felt sick to his stomach, an unusual sensation for a spirit. But he remembered how things went with his prior partner, watching her fade away after the destruction of her statue. Was he really going to lose another partner like that? Even though he hadn't wanted the new partner in the first place.

"Hey!" The annoying voice woke him up as the early light of morning stretched over the grounds of the temple. "Hey!" A hand grabbed hold of his arm, shaking him despite that he was already awake. "HEY!"

"I'm awake, you brat!" Vlad growled as he sat up, ripping his arm free. He frowned as he stared at the young fox with his white hair mussed up and dirt upon his face and clothing. But the spirit wore a bright smile. "Hmph! I thought you would have faded away."

"You won't get rid of me that easily." The young fox grinned then turned to sit facing the front of the temple. "I found someone for him. Look!"

Vlad glared skeptically at the young fox. Then he looked too, and he nearly slipped off the rooftop when he saw a woman slowly walking up the stairs of the temple. She pushed back a lock of her short hair as her violet eyes surveyed the temple grounds. Jack, in the middle of his morning chores, paused in his sweeping when he spotted her. She smiled at him, walking over to greet him. Vlad couldn't remember ever seeing Jack so flustered, blushing as he talked to the woman. Lifting an eyebrow, Vlad turned to stare at the young fox.

"I told you I would prove you wrong," he said with a flush of pride.

Vlad grumbled as he snapped his gaze away. It looked like he might be stuck with the brat after all. "Do you have a name?"

"Danny!" The young fox nearly bounced where he sat. "And you? What is your name?"

He held back a sigh. "Vlad."


	18. Wulf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Danny is having a restless night and tries walking around to work off some his extra energy.  
> Characters: Danny, Wulf, Jack, Maddie, and Vlad
> 
> Space Frontier AU includes:  
> Day 1 Space  
> Day 4 Transformation  
> Day 12 Death  
> Day 16 Stuck  
> Day 19 Wulf

Danny stared up at the ceiling of their sleeping quarters, not sure of the time, but darkness filled the room. His father snored like a jackhammer, the noise reverberating off the walls. But the snoring wasn't what kept him awake. Vlad had encouraged him to ask out Paulina, but Danny knew he would only end up embarrassing himself if he tried.

During his years at the academy, he was friends with Sam, and for the last two and a half years before graduating, he had a crush on her. When he finally asked her out, he made a complete fool of himself, stumbling over his words and miscalculating the distances between him and the wall. He ended up flat on his butt with Sam struggling not to laugh at him. Sometimes, he had the dreadful thought that she only agreed to date him out of pity for the awful humiliation when he asked her out. They dated for the summer, but Danny planned to join his parents and Sam wanted to work on pushing laws to protect the wild parts of planets before they all ended up as nothing more than smog clogged industrial machines. They would have very little time to see each other aside from calling each other every once and a while, so it was better to end their relationship. Thinking back to their rather long, and somewhat depressing, conversation, Danny didn't think it fair to try starting up a relationship with someone if they only planned to be on Dembala for a couple of days, a small time to rest before traveling the stars again. One day he wanted to have a love like his parents, but for now it simply didn't feel like the right time.

Danny climbed off his bed, biting back a hiss as his bare feet touched the chilly metal floor. He glanced around, just barely able to make out the rest of the room. His parents were sound asleep, and Vlad seemed to have no trouble sleeping either, though in the darkness Danny couldn't see if the alien had dropped his human disguise. Vlad had said he reverted to his natural form at night to rest because the disguise ate at his energy. Danny padded silently toward the exit of the sleeping quarters, deciding a walk around the ship might help him unwind enough to get a bit of sleep before morning came.

The door slid open with a whoosh, making Danny wince slightly and toss a glance back into the sleeping quarters to see if the noise woke anyone. Thankfully, no one stirred from their slumber. Danny released a sigh of relief as the door closed behind him. Dim lights ran along the ceiling and floor of the hall, offering enough light for Danny to see by so he didn't run into a wall. He stretched his arms over his head and arched his back as he walked, meandering aimlessly around the ship.

A sound caught his attention. Something like claws scraping across metal. Danny spun around on the balls of his feet, his eyes searching the dimly lit hall, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Only an empty hall stretched out before him. Reaching up, he rubbed at his face. He was simply tired. That had to be the reason for hearing things not actually there.

Then something slammed into his back, knocking to the ground. He grunted as he hit the floor, scraping his palms on the metal. Flipping onto his back, Danny's eyes widened as a shape landed on top of him. Before he could scramble to escape, a large paw had him pinned to the floor, the pressure nearly crushing his chest. Bright green eyes glared down at him as sharp claws dug lightly into his chest, though not enough to break the skin. The alien leaned down, and a wet snout pressed close to his neck, snuffling at him in a way that would have made Danny laugh from being tickled if his heart wasn't currently hammering in his chest as fear squeezed him tightly.

A growling came from the alien, and try as he might, Danny couldn't pick out what he was saying. He wasn't as well versed in alien languages as his father. The alien pulled back enough to stare down at Danny. His upper lip pulled back in an unpleasant snarl, and Danny gulped nervously, his panic creeping to higher levels.

The hall lights flared on to full brightness, and the alien scrambled off him, momentarily blinded like Danny. Hearing a serious of growls, Danny twisted his head around to see his parents charging down the hall with blasters in hand. They trained the blasters upon the alien, daring him to give them a reason to shoot. The alien responded with his own growls and snarls. Danny took the opportunity to climb to his feet and hurry to put himself behind his parents. Vlad stood behind them, his appearance slight disheveled from sleep. They had picked up some new clothing for the alien so he wouldn't be forced to wear only the flight jumpsuit. Vlad frowned, reaching out to touch trace the tears in Danny's shirt.

"Are you hurt?"

Danny shook his head as he stared at his parents, his father conversing with the alien. "Just a little shaken up. What's going on?"

His father lowered his weapon, though his mother seemed a little more hesitant. "He says his name is Wulf."

Danny craned his head to see around his parents. The alien certainly looked wolfish with black fur and a long snout. Danny remembered seeing aliens like Wulf before in his textbooks, though the name of them escaped his sleepy brain at the moment. He did remember they were said to be excellent trackers. Once they got a whiff of something, they could track it across the galaxy. Danny shivered and rubbed at his neck. Was that why Wulf had sniffed him? To see if he matched whatever scent he was supposed to track? Everything inside him sank with a dreadful thought as his gaze flicked toward Vlad standing beside him and in his natural state.

"The R'Theon enslaved him to track down a certain target." His father looked meaningfully at Vlad, though Danny hadn't needed the hint. "They have a collar on him that sends out painful pulses if he disobeys them."

Danny frowned at Wulf. He didn't like being attacked, but he felt sorry for Wulf if he was being forced to work for the R'Theon. "Can you help him? Maybe get the collar off him?"

"I think we can manage that," his mother said. "It'll take a bit of time, but it should be possible to remove it. The R'Theon acquire technology from all over the galaxies, but we know our way around almost every type of technology there is." She smiled proudly at that fact.

"Your mother and I can handle this," his father said. "I think maybe Vlad should take you the medical facility to check you for any injuries."

"Ah, but I'm not-" Danny frowned as Vlad took his hand and pulled him along toward the ship's medical facility. He huffed out a sigh, both in frustration and exhaustion. All he wanted was some sleep now that the panic was fading and draining his system. He covered his mouth as he yawned widely.


	19. Swap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Paulina wakes up to disturbing discovery.  
> Characters: Paulina and Sam

Her hand slipped out from under the covers and groped around until she finally found the blaring clock then slammed a fist down on the snooze button. Ugh! She felt exhausted and achy, and waking up held little desire to her. But it was a school day, and she had a duty to be present, if not only to keep up her attendance record and grades but also to ensure people didn't forget she was queen of the school. With a huff, she threw off the covers and climbed out of bed. Yawning widely, she stretched her arms over her head and walked over to her mirror like always.

At the sight of her reflection, she froze, dread creeping up on her like frost slowly crawling up her body. She dropped her gaze to her body, praying it was a trick of the mirror. A scream almost escaped her when she stared down at pale hands and black pajamas she wore. Her heart jumped into her throat as she shook with panic. What happened? And why was she in _Sam's_ body? This couldn't be happening! It had to be a dream. She pinched her arm hard and gasped at the pain. Not a dream. But how did any of this make sense? Her hand raked through the ebony hair, and her violet eyes stared widely at her reflection as she tried to think up _anything_ to explain the strange occurrence. Sure, Amity Park had its fair share of problems with ghosts attacking on a nearly weekly basis. But body swapping? She never heard of something like this happening! And of all the people in Amity Park, why Sam Manson?

"Sammikins!"

Paulina cringed when she heard the woman's voice. What was she supposed to do? If she said she wasn't Sam, it would only make her look crazy. Right. Then she would simply have to play along until she found Sam, or well her own body, and hope the Goth had some ideas of how to switch them back. She swallowed thickly as the door open, and Sam's mother entered the bedroom. Paulina blinked at the woman, not at all what she expected of Sam's mother. Maybe she hadn't thought much about what Sam's family was like, but she had figured the whole dark and gloomy personality came from her parents. Sam's mother was anything but dark and gloomy with her bright smile and her overly pink dress.

"Oh, you're up already. That's unusual." Sam's mother frowned with some concern. "Well, no matter. I was thinking perhaps you should wear this today. Picture day and all. You want to look nice, don't you?"

Paulina stared horrified at the dress Sam's mother presented to her. Now, Paulina loved the color pink, and she could hear Sam's voice grumbling about how she was allowing a male dominated world force her into disgusting gender roles. But she liked pink! She was allowed to like a color simply because she did. Of course, she could agree that there should be more variety than various shades of pink when it came to "girl" stuff.

But despite her love for the color pink, she wouldn't be caught dead in that atrocity of a dress. She might be in Sam's body, but she still had standards for what was fashionable, and she wasn't about to walk out of this house in _that_. She could understand some of Sam's anger issues if her mother was always forcing such hideous dresses upon her. What would Sam do in this situation?

Paulina crossed her arms and twisted her expression into the sourest glare she could manage. "I'm not a child," she said firmly. "I think I'm perfectly capable of dressing myself and deciding what I want to wear. Thank you, but no thanks. I'm not wearing that dress."

Sam's mother huffed, frowning at the way Paulina talked back to her. "Well, don't blame me if you're picture is as bad as it is every year." She stomped out of the room and yanked the door shut behind her.

Paulina scowled at the closed door. Then she got thinking. It was picture day. Cringing, she realized the embarrassment Sam could cause to her if she turned up dressed in all black and horrible makeup. Oh, this was a nightmare! She had to get to Sam before it was time for her picture! She had worked too long and hard building up her reputation and achieving her goal as queen of the school to let Sam ruin it in five seconds. Sam couldn't possibly understand the struggle she went through as a Hispanic woman striving for recognition in a mainly white dominated world.

Hurrying over to the closet, she rummaged through everything Sam owned to find something suitable to wear. She was actually impressed to find Sam had some decent clothes, though the Goth had never worn any of it to school. Hm, that seemed strange. Paulina shrugged the oddity off as she got dressed and did her hair and makeup. It didn't actually take much effort to make Sam look pretty, and Paulina frowned, wondering why the Goth was so determined to downplay her beauty. Sure, there was the whole not following the typical gender roles and being obsessed with pleasing men. But Sam could make herself look pretty simply because it made her feel good.

When she was ready, Paulina grabbed Sam's book bag and flew out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and through the door without even a goodbye to Sam's parents. She was in a hurry to stop Sam from destroying her reputation! She ran all the way to school. Hm, Sam was pretty fit for such a scrawny looking woman, and Paulina hadn't missed spotting a few bruises and scars on her body. It explained why Sam started wearing long sleeves more often when Paulina saw one ugly bruise on her upper arm. She was too focused on her rush to beat Sam to getting their pictures taken to really think about it as she got dressed. What was Sam doing to receive so many injuries? Her mother seemed bad, with forcing ugly dresses upon her, but didn't seem like the abusive type. And Paulina knew about abusive parents from her friends.

"Hey, Sam!" Danny greeted her when they arrived at school nearly at the same time. "I-"

"No time!" Paulina said, charging right past the stunned Danny as she went to search for Sam. She caught sight of her body walking down the hall with Star, who chatted on about something that caused Sam to cringe and look annoyed with the whole situation. Paulina halted in her rush as she blinked at her body. Sam had actually... done an amazing job making her look good. Hair was perfect. Makeup done up exactly as Paulina would have done herself. Clothing was what Paulina had picked out the prior night. Sam hadn't taken this opportunity to ruin her? Her mind spun at the thought.

Sam caught sight of her then flicked her gaze toward the side. Paulina picked up on what Sam wanted: meet in the bathroom. It made sense. They didn't want to draw any attention to them by talking in the open. Paulina entered the girls bathroom, and after a few minutes of anxious waiting, Sam entered, locking the door behind her so they wouldn't be interrupted.

"You just had to dress me up like some Barbie doll, didn't you?" Sam scowled.

"At least I didn't put on that awful pink dress your mother wanted." Paulina frowned, folding her arms. "You didn't want to take this opportunity to destroy me?"

"Well, I considered," Sam said, shrugging, "but then I decided I would rather get through this whole thing without anyone figuring out anything was up."

"And what exactly _is_ up?" Paulina's brow knitted as she eyed Sam. For some reason, she had a feeling the Goth knew more about what was happening than she did.

Sam was silent for a while, enough to make panic claw at Paulina. Then she sighed. "I was stupid and made a wish last night."

"A wish?" Paulina's eyebrows shot up a notch, and she nearly laughed, except Sam looked dead serious.

"Yes, there's this ghost that grants wishes, and I should have known better, but sometimes it just slips out before I even realize what I'm say." Sam gritted her teeth in frustration.

"Right. So what exactly was the wish?"

Sam glanced away, her cheeks tingeing pink with embarrassment. "I wanted to know what it would be like to be you for a day." She held up a hand before Paulina could say anything, and there was surely a rant building up inside her. "I know. It's stupid. Why would _I_ ever want to be _you_? But sometimes, I just wonder. Everything looks so easy for you."

"It's not easy being me." Paulina's mouth pursed tightly, but she was thankful that if this had to happen on picture day, at least Sam didn't make her look like a fool.

"I'm beginning to see that. If I have to listen to Star talk about makeup for another second, I might strangle her." Sam's hands curled into fists, looking more like she was going to deck Star the next time she saw her. "Anyway, the wish only lasts until midnight, so we just have to survive until then."

Paulina could see the worry in Sam's eyes, and her own worries were eating her up inside. She had secrets, secrets about her friends that no one else in school knew. With Sam in her body, those secrets weren't safe. She felt sick when she thought about Sam using that knowledge to hurt her friends. Paulina turned a hard glare on Sam.

"Okay. But you have to swear that anything you learn while you're in my body stays secret." Paulina pointed a finger at Sam, nearly jabbing it at the other woman. "You can't tell _anyone_. Promise me."

"I'll promise if you keep the same promise to me," Sam countered, her eyes narrowing like icy daggers. "You tell _no one_ about what you may learn about my friends."

Paulina doubted Sam's friends had any giant secrets that needed to be kept quiet, but if it was the only way to get Sam to agree, she saw no reason not to promise. "All right. It's a promise." She stuck out her hand, and Sam shook it. They had a deal. Now they just had to survive a day living as each other.


	20. Dress up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Dan really hates Vlad at the moment and wants nothing more than to go home and get out of his stupid suit.  
> Characters: Vlad; and Dan x Kwan

"This is ridiculous," Dan muttered, pulling at the tie as it dug uncomfortably into his throat. "Let's just forget all about this and blow this joint."

Vlad narrowed his eyes, frowning in disapproval at the young man who acted more like a demon in most situations. "You will leave it be." He slapped the man's hands away from his tie then fixed it up to fit more comfortably. Hopefully then Dan would stop fussing with the tie. It had taken him nearly an hour to get Dan to clean up and dress up, needing to use a lot of coercion before the man would comply.

Dan landed him with a frustrated glare. "But why do I have to be here?" His gaze flicked toward the double doors, and apprehension crept into his expression. The opera was definitely not his sort of event.

"Because I had an extra ticket and it's non-refundable." Vlad smacked his hand away before Dan could run it through his raven locks and mess it all up after Vlad had worked so hard making his hair perfect.

Dan gritted his teeth, struggling to keep from yelling out of frustration. He didn't want to be here. He didn't care to sit around listening to boring people sing in a language he didn't even understand. The whole thing wouldn't make any sense to him, and his frustration would only increase to the point of wanting to knock a few heads together. This had to be the worst idea his foster father ever had.

"You know," Dan grumbled, his eyes narrowing a touch more, "sometimes, I wish you had just left me on the streets where you found me."

"Consider that feeling mutual," Vlad responded before he pulled open the door and entered the theater where the opera was being held.

Dan followed, reluctantly, behind him and almost shrank into himself as he glanced around at all the people, mostly old people who looked like they would fall asleep by nine o'clock, dressed in fancy suits and elegant dresses. A growl tickled the back of throat. He hated the suit and having his hair neatly slicked back. It felt like he was trapped in someone else's body and wanted to claw his way free. But he trailed after Vlad, who knew exactly where their seats were. They had seats in a balcony, but unfortunately, it wasn't a private balcony. Dan hoped the other people sharing the balcony wouldn't want to talk at all. He was already groaning mentally at the thought of listening to a bunch of old people droning on about boring things.

"Stop slouching," Vlad ordered when they arrived at their balcony. "It presents a bad image." He pulled back the curtain and stepped into the balcony.

Dan pulled a face, sticking out his tongue. He didn't care about presenting a good image. Most people who looked at him only saw some punk kid not worth their time or attention. He knew he owed Vlad a lot for picking him up off the street and giving him a warm place to live and nice clothes to wear. And sure, an education would probably be great in the long run, but Dan was a punk from the streets. Vlad could try to change him into something better, but Dan doubted the man could completely purge the street from him.

A laugh caught Dan's attention, and heat flushed over him. Turning his head, Dan gulped when he saw another young man standing not five feet away from him. Probably the only other person attending the opera that was the same age as he. But this man looked far better in the suit, nicely form fitting over his broad shoulders. His raven bangs hung down in his eyes, bright aqua green, and Dan felt like something had stuck in his throat as those eyes held him captive.

"Got stuck coming along too?"

Usually Dan had no trouble talking. Vlad often grew annoyed with his young charge talking his ear off. But for once, Dan struggled to get out any words. "Uh," he responded unintelligently, "yeah. You too, huh?" He could have smacked himself.

A small smile pulled at the man's mouth, and he nodded. "Yeah, my mom loves the opera." He rolled his eyes, smiling a bit more fully. "So I get dragged along all the time. Was that your dad?" He pointed toward the closed curtain, and Dan could imagine Vlad's impatient face as he waited for Dan to join him.

"Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that." Dan winced when confusion crossed the man's face. "Foster father, actually."

Eyebrows went up, but instead of the cringe of disgust he was used to, the man actually looked apologetic. "Oh, sorry." He waved a hand before him. "I didn't mean to pry."

Dan relaxed, and he wasn't sure how the man managed to have that sort of effect on him. He tended to have a habit of becoming defensive easily and snapping back at people. He shook his head. "It's okay. Uh, well, I probably shouldn't keep you. Your mom's probably wondering where you are."

"Oh, well." The man flushed lightly as he tugged awkwardly on one ear. "Actually, our seats are right in there." He pointed to the balcony Vlad had entered. "My name's Kwan. Maybe we can talk some more during intermission."

Dan's mouth twitched, the corner curling up in a small smirk. "Yeah, that sounds good. I'm Dan."

Kwan smiled shyly as Dan held the curtain open for him, and they both entered the balcony. Maybe the opera wouldn't be too bad after all if he had someone his own age to talk to, instead of a bunch of boring old people.


	21. Talent Trade Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Danny may or may not have a small crush on a certain someone.  
> Characters: Danny, Jazz, Ember, and Vlad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by Ghost Chicky's Family Breakfast AU.

Danny peeked around the corner of the doorway when he heard the familiar strums of a guitar. A month had already passed since his sister decided to try learning how to play the guitar. He cringed at the awkward plucking of his sister's attempt to repeat the little song her teacher had just played. Jazz was smart, practically as smart as their parents, though her psycho analyzing everything could drive him bonkers at times. Musical ability, however, didn't seem to come as naturally to her as sticking her nose in a book and studying for hours to achieve good grades.

Danny sneaked into the front room then behind the couch while his sister and her guitar instructor were distracted. He popped up from behind, balancing on the balls of his feet as he clung to the back of the couch. He appeared right between the two girls. His sister was ten by now, but her instructor looked to be about fifteen. Ember wore her bright electric blue hair pulled back into a high ponytail, though the sides of her head were shaved. It flickered like flames, and Danny resisted the strong temptation to reach out and run his fingers through her hair to see if it would burn like fire. Her skin was unnaturally pale, but that wasn't surprising when he knew she was a ghost. Simply being near Ember made Danny's spine tingle with a chill.

"Hi," Danny squeaked, somewhat shyly, and his face reddened with embarrassment at the crack in his voice. Ember had visited several times already to teach Jazz to play guitar, but Danny had always been too nervous to actually speak to the ghost.

"Danny, we're busy," Jazz said in that way older sister's had when they didn't want their younger siblings bothering them. Danny recognized it from times when Jazz wanted to hang out with just her and Dash and not have her little brother tagging along like an annoying shadow. It hurt when Jazz talked to him like that, but Danny tried to understand that his sister wanted to have some things that were just hers, as their parents had told him in the past.

"Oh, it's all right." Ember grinned mischievously as she reached over to pinch Danny's cheek. "Let the little squirt stay."

Danny pouted. "I'm not a little squirt!"

Ember laughed. "Sure, you aren't." She tilted her head in consideration, her bright green eyes fixed upon Danny as Jazz frowned at the interruption to her lesson. "Maybe you'd like to give it a try too?"

Danny's expression brightened immediately, his blue eyes growing wide. "Can I?" But then his excitement fell when he noticed Jazz's grumpiness. He didn't want to upset his sister.

"Aw, come on." Ember nudged Jazz in the side with her elbow. "I can teach both of you."

Jazz didn't seem too pleased about her little brother joining in what was supposed to be something just for her. Then she sighed. "Oh, all right. Come on, Danny." She patted the spot next to her on the couch.

Danny grinned widely and floated up over the back of the couch, but instead of taking the open spot on the other side his sister, he plopped himself down in Ember's lap. Tilting his head back, he turned a shy grin onto the musical ghost. "So how do I hold the guitar?" He tentatively reached out to touch the guitar Ember held. Beside them, his sister snickered, and Danny felt a flush of his heat upon his cheeks.

"You hold it here," Ember said, guiding Danny's little hand to the neck of the guitar, but it was much too wide for his hand to wrap fully around it and reach all of the strings. "And then you just strum," Ember continued after she fitted Danny's fingers mostly onto the strings. She placed a pick in his other hand and helped him run it down over the strings, ringing out a shaky cord.

Danny gasped, his mouth opening wide in surprise. "Look, Jazz!" He turned to his sister. "I'm playing too!"

Jazz bit back a laugh. "Yes, you sure are." She ruffled his raven locks as her mouth stretched into a wide grin.

"What's this?" their papa said as he appeared, leaning on the back of the couch.

Danny twisted his head around to his papa, still in his ghost form, and his grin stretched even wider. "I can play too, Papa!"

"I saw." His papa smiled down at him. "But," he grabbed Danny under his arms and lifted him from Ember's lap, "let's leave Ember and Jazz to their lesson." He chuckled at Danny's disappointed whine as he held the squirmy eight year old in his arms. "We can talk about you having some lessons too if you like. Maybe we can find a guitar that will be more fitting for your small hands." He took hold of Danny's hand and gave it a little shake. "And I think your dad and mom are making some fudge. You like helping them with that, right?"

Danny's eyes lit up eagerly. "Fudge! I like fudge!"

Vlad chuckled. "I know you do. You're a little fudge monster, getting it all over you." He poked Danny in the stomach, earning a small giggling squeal from the boy as they walked into the kitchen where Danny's dad and mom were getting out the ingredients for baking fudge.


	22. Clockwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: A dangerous enemy appears and threatens the future Clockwork had always envisioned.  
> Characters: Clockwork and Danny
> 
> Timewalker AU includes:  
> Day 9 Time Travel  
> Day 23 Clockwork

Clockwork stumbled after the unexpected shift in time. He couldn't tell if it was his own powers pulling him to this specific place at this particular time or if Danny's sudden scream for help through the communicator had drawn him there. The pull from his powers hit at nearly the exact moment he heard Danny's voice. Which came first was impossible for him to determine. But the thump of a body slamming into a wall tore his attention away from such trivial thoughts, and he watched the half ghost hero drop to the ground.

Danny hurriedly shot to his feet, dodging before a flaming fist slammed into the ground where he had landed. The sidewalk cracked under the impact of the of the fist. If he had moved a second later, Danny would have received serious injury. As it was, tears had appeared in the usual jumpsuit he wore as Phantom, revealing several dark bruises over the young man's pale flesh. But the ghost grabbed hold of Danny's throat then rammed him into the wall of a building. Clockwork responded quickly. He brought his staff down hard on the ghost's arms, forcing him to release Danny, who coughed and rubbed at his throat. The ghost turned upon him with a vicious snarl.

Clockwork twisted his staff around and slammed the butt of it into the ghost's fast. A roar issued from the ghost as he stumbled back, holding his gloved hands to his face. Danny recovered and sent an energy ball at the ghost, blasting him into the building across the street. The large glass windows shattered, and the shop alarm blared into the late afternoon.

"The staff is new," Danny commented when he turned his bright green eyes upon Clockwork. "Not getting old on me now, are you?"

"Not at all." A smirk curled upon his face. Clockwork never really aged, but time had certainly crept by for him. For Danny, however, only a year or two had passed since their encounter in which the young hero presented him with a gift. "I'm afraid messages through time are not very instantaneous." He held up his arm he wore the communicator on, but the device crumbled off it like time had weathered it away to dust.

Danny frowned, placing a hand to his chin in thought. "I'll have to work on something that will work a lot better. Withstand the whole time travel thing." Then he smiled. "I'm glad you made it though. This guy," he thrust a thumb in the direction of his latest opponent, "showed up out of nowhere, but strangely, he seems to know all of my moves. I've been lucky if I can even land a hit on him."

Clockwork turned his gaze to the destroyed store front. The ghost climbed out of the rumble, his expression twisted into one of fury. Clockwork's eyes widened after getting a good look at the ghost. He slid back a step as Danny prepared to face off against his opponent again.

"This can't be happening," Clockwork mumbled, fear wrapping around him, paralyzing him to where he stood. Images flickered through his mind of a future filled with destruction, the world consumed by fire where the dead were left strewn out like garbage. How could _he_ be here?

Danny blocked an attack with a shield, which shattered, but it gave him enough time to dodge out of the way. He managed to land a punch while the ghost stumbled, slamming his fist into his enemy's gut. With a burst of energy, he sent the ghost flying down the street, crashing through cars and sending civilians screaming.

"What's with this guy?" Danny bent over, hands on his knees as he caught his breath, sweating dripping from his brow. "I don't think I can keep up like this." The hero wasn't lying. The fight was draining his energy rapidly, and before too long, he would revert back to human.

"We have to take down that ghost." Clockwork glared down the street as the ghost released a roar of anger. He couldn't tell Danny the truth. Not here. Not now. His hand hovered over the clock on the head of his staff. No, his ability to freeze time would do little good in this situation if the ghost was who he thought he was. The ghost wouldn't freeze, and it would cause more harm than good for Danny.

"That's a lot easier said than done." Danny glanced at him with a serious frown on his face. "I hope you have a plan in mind. And if not, I hope you think of one soon. I'm counting on you, Clockwork."

"No pressure or anything." An amused smirk slipped across Clockwork's face as he watched Danny charge back into battle. But how was he supposed to come up with a plan when the future was unstable? Everything unraveled before his eyes, too many new paths stretching out before him depending on how things went from this point forward.

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

Hearing the voice, Clockwork spun around and held his staff tightly in his hands, ready to fight if needed. But he froze, his eyes widening when they landed upon the man before him. The purple hood over his head did little to stop Clockwork from recognizing him at once. Despite the shadows from the hood, his mouth remained visible, and it curled into a cruel smirk.

"That sudden flood of images. The future no longer so determined." The man strode forward a few steps, and Clockwork tensed, his hands squeezing around his staff.

"You!" Clockwork growled, his teeth grinding painfully. "How could you bring him here? I made sure he never existed."

"Ah, but you should know all timelines still exist in one form or another." The man circled around him, and Clockwork followed his movements. "Where order reigns, chaos shall follow. You sow peace and hope while I reap destruction and despair. Your precious champion will fall to his," the cruel smirk again, "darker self, and my champion shall take this time for his playground." A short laugh escaped him. "And you know that staff won't affect us. _We_ don't exist within time."

"Maybe not," Clockwork agreed, knowing full well the capabilities of the man before him. "But you should know my champion and I aren't alone in our fight."

A smirk faded from the man's expression, pulling into a frown. A blast knocked him off his feet before he even knew it was coming. Clockwork turned a grin onto the man in an orange jumpsuit as he came running onto the scene with his wife. His darker half apparently lacked all of his time reading abilities. Good. That was Clockwork's advantage then. The various possible futures thinned out, bringing a smile to Clockwork's face as he saw victory and the return to the future he had protected.


	23. Jack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Danny is still dealing with the new information he learned at camp.  
> Characters: Jack and Danny
> 
> Demigod AU includes:  
> Day 5 Under Appreciated  
> Day 7 Crossover  
> Day 8 Desiree  
> Day 15 Unlucky  
> Day 24 Jack

"Why such the glum, anxious look, Danny, my boy?" Jack asked, poking at the logs as the fire roared a little brighter.

Danny sat on a log with his knees drawn up to his chest as his bright blue eyes darted around the woods surrounding them like he expected something dangerous to leap out at them at any moment. "It's," he licked his lips nervously, toying with a loose string on his jeans, "nothing."

Jack frowned as he set down the stick then turned to face the teenager more fully. "Does this have anything to do with what happened at camp this summer?" Danny and Jazz had arrived back home a few days ago, and since they still had about a few weeks before the new school year, Jack decided to drag Danny off on a little camping trip. Maddie was taking care of getting Jazz ready to head off to college.

Danny eyed the large man hesitantly. "You're still my father," he said bluntly. They, or rather Jazz, had told them about what happened during their stay at camp, about how Danny was finally claimed by his godly parent, Hades. Danny hadn't seemed too thrilled about telling the story, but Jazz had ruffled his hair with a bright, proud grin on her face.

Jack laughed. "Of course I am!" He reached over and laid a big hand on Danny's shoulder, giving the teen a small shake. "Maddie and I will always be here to welcome you home." His smile faltered slightly. "I know this must be a big thing for you, finally knowing who your real father is, but we love you. And Jazz. We couldn't wish for better children."

Danny lifted his gaze, and Jack didn't miss the worry in them. "Even though my dad is god of the dead?" His gaze lowered, and he fidgeted some. "He met me."

Jack's eyebrows lifted in surprise. He hadn't heard anything about that. "Did he? That - That's good! Always good that the gods are making time to see their children." He grinned, but a part of him hurt. What if Hades had offered to take Danny in and raise him? Jack didn't want to lose his son, but it would be Danny's choice. How could he tell Danny _not_ to live with his father if that was what he wanted?

Danny's shoulders hunched up, and he looked smaller than usual. "He said I should stay. Being with Jazz. With you and Mom. At the camp. That's where I should be. To - To prepare me for whatever is coming in my future. But there's this nagging voice in my head. Mom - My birth mom died. People around me have died." He shrank even more, seeming like a child, the same scared child that Jack first met when he and Maddie were looking to adopt. "I don't want that happening to you and Mom. But," his voice wavered, "death keeps following me." A bitter snort of a laugh escaped him. "Though I guess that's to be expected from the son of Hades."

"Hey." Jack circled his arm around Danny's shoulders and dragged the teenager to him, hugging him fiercely with the one arm. "People die. That's just the way of things. We're born. We live. We die. But just because people die around you doesn't mean you are the cause of it. Maddie and I, we'd give our lives to protect you and Jazz if it was necessary. Because we love you." He brushed back the bangs, moving them out of Danny's face as he stared down at his son. "And I suspect your dad wouldn't leave you here with us if he knew you would be burdened with the guilt of our deaths."

Danny stared at him for some time before shaking his head. "You've never met him."

"No, but I can understand a father's feelings. We try our best to keep our children from suffering when we can." Jack patted Danny on the back. "Gods aren't supposed to interfere too much in mortal lives, right? Sometimes, even if they want to help they can't because they have to let their children grow up strong and fight their own battles. But I think in that moment he paid you a visit, if he saw something he could help you avoid in your future, he would have said something." His mouth twitched, almost trying to spread into a proud grin. "Maybe he saw that you staying with us would keep us safe. You're such a fierce fighter, and Jazz will be off to college this year. Maddie and I can't see monsters because of the Mist. We'd need you here in case something attacked us for any reason."

It took a moment, but Danny managed a smile. "Thanks." Something in Danny's eyes told Jack his son was still keeping something from him, but Jack didn't press the topic. "I guess it's just a lot to swallow. Finding out who my godly parent is. Been working on digesting the whole thing since I was claimed." Then he smiled a bit brighter. "And don't worry. You and Mom have a long life ahead of you."

"Oh, do we?" Jack grinned and pulled his son to him with one arm around the teen's neck as he ruffled Danny's hair. "That's good to know. Now. How about some s'mores?" He picked up one of the sticks set in front of the fire to roast the marshmallows. Danny smiled happily as he got out the graham crackers and chocolate bars. Jack was happy he could give the teen something normal in his life.


	24. A Listers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Kwan likes showing up at Valerie's place sometimes. But it doesn't always end well.  
> Characters: Valerie and Kwan

"You don't have to keep coming over here," Valerie said, though she couldn't complain about the nice hot meal the man brought over to the cheap apartment her father found for them after he lost his job. "What would happen if the rest of the A List found out you came to see me?"

Kwan shrugged, his gaze focused on the small screen television sitting in front of them. He had his legs drawn up to his chest, his bare feet curling around the edge of the couch. His food sat on the short coffee table, still untouched, and Valerie suspected he would leave it there when he left, offering it to her as leftovers.

"Don't care," Kwan mumbled after a lull of silence with only the quiet drone of the television filling the apartment. With a sigh, he raked a hand through his short raven locks. "Let's face it. I'm already on thin ice anyway. If anyone new gets picked for the A List, I'm the first one they're going to drop. I know Dash'll want to fight for me, but the rest of the A List is just going to ignore him. My popularity is pretty much based on the fact that I'm friends with him."

Valerie frowned, his brow creasing with concern. "Come on, Kwan. That's not true." But with a sick feeling twisting inside her and erasing all her appetite, she knew Kwan was right. Even before she was dropped because her father lost his job, she overheard the other A List members talking about kicking Kwan out. He was the weak link, they would say. They would do better to find a stronger member to replace him.

"It's fine," Kwan said, but Valerie could hear in his voice it wasn't. "I've known it was coming for a while. It'll suck, but," he shrugged, defeated, "I'll find other people to hang out with at school. Probably." The frown and pain in his eyes suggested he didn't actually believe his own words.

Valerie set her bowl down on the coffee table then moved closer so she could lean against the jock. "Well, you've always got me."

Kwan's mouth twitched, and Valerie _almost_ caught the hint of a smile. "Thanks," he murmured softly as he snaked an arm around her waist and gave her a small squeeze of a hug.

"Want me to kick Dash's ass if it happens?"

Kwan laughed, his body shaking with genuine amusement. "I have no doubts that you could do it." A smile remained on his face, but sadness had crept into his eyes. "But you know as well as I do what sort of life he deals with at home."

Valerie frowned, lowering her gaze away from him and absently staring at the television. She did know. Only a small select grouping knew about Dash's home life. "But he knows about _your_ home life too," she reminded, not missing the way Kwan tensed and grew stiff against her at her words.

"It's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" Valerie nearly shrieked as her eyes narrowed venomously. Kwan kept his gaze pointedly turned away from her like if he didn't acknowledge it, then he wouldn't feel the fury of her glare burning into him. "The fact that you can sit here and tell me it's not that bad only makes it worse!"

"Dash is the one who has it worse." Kwan shrugged his broad shoulders.

Valerie sat up then grabbed hold of Kwan's face, forcing him to look at her. "This isn't about who has it worse at home! This about your parents cutting you down so much that you're completely okay with thinking that you aren't worth anything. And it kills me because you are probably the most caring and nicest person I have ever met. And your parents are idiots if they can't see how great you are."

Kwan's brow knitted, and his gaze turned away, and Valerie could see he didn't believe her words. He couldn't see himself as anyone worth caring about, and Valerie's heart broke seeing how little Kwan saw in himself. Extracting himself from her grip, he climbed off the couch.

"I should probably get going," Kwan mumbled, grabbing his bag from where he dropped it beside the couch and tugging on his shoes. "Got curfew to make or I'll be ground and won't be able to play in the game on Friday." He paused when he reached the door of the apartment. "I'll see you at school." He offered a partial smile, forced the whole way. Then he left, the door closing behind him with a click of the lock echoing in the apartment.

Valerie slumped against the couch. She could fight ghosts like nobody's business, but she couldn't even do anything to help someone about whom she cared a lot. Even if Valerie tried to tell someone what was happening, Kwan would only deny it. Misery settled over her as she buried her face in her knees.


	25. Mentor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Vlad is quite proud of his little apprentice.  
> Characters: Vlad and Danny

"Excellent job," Vlad said proudly as he dropped a hand onto the shoulder of the young boy. Other people might think the eerie glow of the boy's eyes was simply a reflection from the flames before them, but Vlad knew the glow of green pushing out the natural blue of the boy's eyes came from the power within him. He smiled warmly as he moved his hand to ruffle the boy's hair, careful though not to distract his attention too much. "Perhaps one day you'll be stronger than I am."

The boy turned his head and gaped up at him. "No way, Uncle Vlad! You're the strongest ever!"

Vlad chuckled lightly. He was, perhaps, the strongest right now, but he could see the power in the boy, and it grew every day. Without a doubt, one day the boy would surpass him, but that day was still in the distant future. For now, he had to focus on teaching the boy control and the proper use of their powers.

"I guess we'll just have to see, won't we?" Vlad turned his gaze to the circle of flames, burning as brightly as the boy's green eyes. "Do you remember what to do now?"

The boy's head bobbed in a quick nodded. Then his brow creased as he concentrated, and he bit into his lower lip. The flames grew brighter, almost becoming too wild, as the being trapped within them shrieked out in agony.

"Careful," Vlad cautioned with a gentle resting of his hand upon the boy's shoulder again. "It's okay to go slowly. It's more important to do it correctly rather than swiftly. It'll go faster in the years to come after you've had more experience."

The boy closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. The flames calmed and drew inward as the frightened being scrambled around its shrinking enclosure, searching for a break to allow it to escape. The boy held strong, keeping his control over his power despite his young age. The being screamed as the flames consumed it, the chilling shouts echoing in the night.

"You do not belong to this world," the boy murmured, reciting the words Vlad had told him many times before. "Your time here is done. It is time for you to seek peace in the next world." The flames flared brightly for a moment then immediately zapped out of existence with a small wisp of smoke curling in the air. Nothing remained to show anything abnormal had taken place in this spot. No one would ask questions. No one other than the two of them had even heard the being scream.

"Very good. You did quite well for your first outing," Vlad said as the boy relaxed, taking deep breaths after the effort.

"You would have exorcised the spirit in two seconds." The boy pouted, his lower lip jutting out slightly. The unnatural glow of his eyes had faded, returning them to their cheerful blue.

"I just have far more experience than you." Vlad ruffled the boy's hair again. "Now, Danny, I believe it is time for us to return home. You have school in the morning, and it has gotten quite late. Your parents wouldn't approve of you being out so late." He crouched down to allow the boy to climb onto his back. The exorcism of the spirit had taken its toll upon the boy, and Vlad doubted Danny would make it home without falling asleep.

"Tell me another story about Dad when you were in college!" Danny grinned as he wrapped his arms around Vlad's neck.

"You're not sick of those already?" Vlad laughed, holding under Danny's legs as he walked them back to the Fenton household.

"Never!" Danny laughed and squirmed somewhat before he settled again, resting his head against the man's shoulder.

"Well then, if you insist." Vlad considered for a moment. "How about the time Jack learned about me for the first time? I don't think I've told you about that yet."

"Yeah, I wanna hear that."

Vlad smiled, warmth filling his eyes at the excitement in the boy's voice. "Well, we had been dorm mates for almost a year already, and I thought for certain I was going to make it through my freshman year without anyone discovering the truth about me." He shook his head, realizing how naive that thinking was now. He would have done better to ignore his duties until he was no longer at risk of discovery, but years of training was engrained into him and he couldn't simply ignore the rogue spirits stirring up trouble in their world. "There was a nasty little spirit playing pranks on students at the college, so I decided to put an end to it. I finally managed to track it down after a few days and waited until nightfall to exorcise it. Well," he rolled his eyes at himself, "I was so focused on the spirit that I never even thought about the idea of Jack trailing after me. He got suspicious about all my nightly disappearances. He watched silently, which I'm sure you know is unbelievable for him, the whole time as I exorcised the spirit." He stopped talking when he heard a little snore near his ear. Danny had fallen asleep sometime while Vlad spoke. "I guess I can tell you that story again when you're not going to fall asleep on me." He smiled, feeling rather content with his life in that moment, as he walked up to the front door of the Fenton's home.


	26. Favorite Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Vlad spends his days in the hospital studying and practicing with his powers.  
> Characters: Vlad, Jack, and Maddie
> 
> Continuing from Ghost Stories chapter 41 Whispers of Discovery.  
> Ghost Whispers AU includes:  
> Day 6 Favorite Head Canon  
> Day 27 Favorite Power

The late afternoon sun tried to peek through the closed drapes on the hospital windows. His room was several floors up, but Vlad couldn't ignore the nagging feeling to be cautious. When the nurse left, taking away his finished lunch tray, Vlad closed the door, thankful the door didn't have any annoying little window for people to peer into his room. The nurses wouldn't bother him again until dinner time, and his doctor had already visited for a checkup, giving him a few hours of free time to practice without anyone catching him.

His brow creased slightly in concentration, and after a moment, his body lifted, somewhat shakily, from his hospital bed. Skulker decided to start off his train with small things. During their first encountered, Vlad had shown he could fire off an energy ball from his hands, but he was still hesitant about trying to do that again. Especially in a hospital full of people already sick and injured. What if he couldn't control it and damaged part of the hospital? He wasn't willing to risk it.

So they settled with some of the simpler things ghosts could do, like flying. Vlad was eager to learn invisibility and intangibility too. It would make sneaking around the hospital sometimes a whole lot easier for him. A slow grin spread onto his face when he thought about the pranks he could pull. Maybe it was a bit childish, and the nurses who were only doing their jobs certainly didn't deserve it, but Vlad could think of a few block headed jocks from college who he thought could use a few pranks pulled on them.

Vlad opened up his book, leaning back as if reclining in a chair as he floated above his bed. The idea of having ghost powers was, honestly, a bit terrifying to him since he wasn't entirely sure what it all meant. Skulker said he wasn't dead but could sense him when he used his powers. Vlad tilted his head in thought as his gaze flicked over his book. Did that make him half dead? Did that even make sense? He frowned slightly, uncertain of the answer.

But flying. Simply floating there brought a swell of happiness inside him. He didn't have any big philosophical reason for liking it. He simply enjoyed the weightless sensation, like all the burdens of the world had lifted off him, making him light enough to drift from the ground like a balloon. He smiled fondly as he tried to reign his focus back to his book. He still had classes to keep up with if he planned on graduating college. Being stuck in the hospital wasn't going to stop him from completing his education!

"Vlad!"

At the sudden, cheerful voice, Vlad lost his concentration. He plummeted back onto his bed like a rock and grunted, the book falling from his hand and dropping to the floor. A cold sweat prickled at the back of his neck, and Vlad swallowed nervously as he turned his head toward the door of his room. His heart stopped beating as his breath lodged somewhere in his throat. Standing in the open doorway, Maddie and Jack gazed at him with shocked expressions, their eyes widening and Jack's mouth falling open.

Fudge muffins! Vlad's hands curled around the stiff cover of his bed as fear coiled inside him. He hadn't expected his friends to turn up today, but there they were, having caught him in the middle of using his powers. Maddie closed the door, and somewhere in Vlad's mind, he hoped no one in the hall had seen him too. When his friends approached his bed, Vlad shied away with great apprehension. They had talked so many times since meeting about hunting down ghosts, capturing them, and examining them for better understanding. Now he had ghost powers, and he couldn't see this knowledge going over well with his ghost enthusiast friends.

"Vlad, what-" Maddie tried but couldn't seem to get her words out, still too shocked.

"You were flying!" Jack gasped, his eyes still wide with shock, but now Vlad noticed a bit of excitement in them. But was that a good thing? Jack caught hold of his hands before Vlad could scramble away from him. "That's awesome! How long have you been able to do that?"

Vlad's mouth worked for a while, stunned by Jack's response. "N-Not too long. I just started learning I could do things like that."

Maddie gave him a critical look, making Vlad feel like he was under a microscope. Her mouth pursed slightly as she folded her arms. "Does this have anything to do with the accident with the Proto Portal?"

"Um," Vlad hesitated, tearing his gaze away from her violet eyes burning into him, "maybe?" He flinched when she punched him on the arm. Then she drew him into a tight hug.

"Oh, Vlad! You should have said something to us." When she pulled back, Maddie wore a worried frown. "Did you think we would abandon you?"

"Vlad, we're your friends!" Jack frowned, hurt playing across his expression.

"I guess," Vlad lowered his gaze, "I just wasn't sure how you'd react."

"I know we've said a lot of stuff about ghosts in the past," Maddie said, "but you're still our friend. We wouldn't do something to hurt you."

"Yeah, V-man!" Jack agreed. "I wouldn't want anyone else for my best friend." They both drew him into a tight hug, and Vlad buried his face against their shoulders. How could he be so silly as to think they would abandon him? He clung tightly to them, thankful to have such great friends.


	27. Malfunction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: A threat to Amity Park brings together an unlikely duo to stop it.  
> Characters: Vlad and Danny
> 
> Mute Danny AU includes:  
> Day 28 Malfunction  
> Day 31 Free Day

He slammed into a wall, cringing at the pain stabbing through his left shoulder. His knees buckled under him, and he sank to the ground as the energy drained out of him. He barely had enough left to maintain his ghost form. People had evacuated the area when the fight turned serious, but he didn't dare risk his identity on the off chance some reckless television crew loitered around taping the fight.

"Curse them," Vlad muttered, his raven locks hanging limply to frame his blue face. Tilting his head up, his red eyes tracked Daniel's movements as the young teen hero continued the fight. Their opponent was as tall as a house with its the joints sparking from the barrage of attacks as the limbs jerked awkwardly. The robotic voice droned out, "Eliminate ectoplasmic entity," on repeat as it marched through the town.

Daniel hit the ground hard but rolled back onto his feet in a low crouch. "We have to end this thing already or it's going to destroy the whole town."

Vlad struggled to his feet then had to lean against the wall before he fell to the ground again. "I don't think I have the energy for another attack."

Daniel glanced at him, his mouth drawing into a thin line. "Just like the Guys in White to build something that they can't even control." He stood up slowly with the determination on his face that Vlad was used to seeing directed at him when they battled. "You might want to get behind me."

"Daniel, you shouldn't," Vlad argued, shock running through his system as he realized what the teenager was planning.

Daniel snapped his gaze to him again, his green eyes glowing brighter than ever. "We're both wearing down at this rate. We need an attack that can this thing down fast. I can do that. One last resort. Get back. I don't need you getting caught up in it."

Vlad started to argue, but he could see in Daniel's eyes that the teen would stubbornly ignore any words of warning he might give. Moving away from the wall, he backed out of range of Daniel's attack, but he watched worriedly. He had felt the power of Daniel's attack before. He knew how strong it was. But he also knew the danger of it. It would drain the remainder of whatever power Daniel had left. He watched, holding his breath, as Daniel prepared himself, taking a strong stance with his feet planted firmly on the ground. The robot approached, and every step closer increased Vlad's worry.

Then Daniel unleashed his attack. Vlad slapped his hands over his ears at the awful noise of the Ghostly Wail. Even from far behind the teen hero, Vlad could feel the vibrations of the sound wave. It collided with the robot, forcing it into a standstill as it fought against the attack. The pressure built, and the sparking joints steamed after small explosions sounded within its armor, and the ground shook as heavy parts fell away.

Daniel dropped to one knee, panting hard after the powerful exertion. The rings appeared about his waist, but somehow he managed to maintain his ghost form. Vlad snapped his gaze back to the robot. Half the armor plating on its head had blown off, and it was rocking on its remaining leg. Daniel stood again.

"Daniel, no!" Vlad cried out, but he was too late. Daniel shouted again, slamming the robot with a second powerful wave. Vlad's eyes grew wide as he watched the robot twitch and jerk before the explosions ripped it apart. But what stopped his heart was the way Daniel's attack seemed to just cut out and he dropped to the ground.

Vlad raced over to the fallen hero as he reverted back to a normal human teenager. He draped his cape over Daniel in case any camera crew was watching, hoping he was fast enough to save Daniel's identity from being discovered. But up close, Vlad couldn't breathe at the sight of the damage done.

"Oh, Daniel," Vlad whispered, his voice full of regret as he stared at the pained expression on Daniel's face, a mixture of green and red upon his lips. Carefully, he lifted Daniel into his arms. "Just hang in there." He tried to sound strong, but internally, he was a mess of panic, pleading for Daniel to be all right as he used his remaining energy to stage a vanishing act before he hurried to bring Daniel to a hospital. The Guys in White could deal with the aftermath of their failed robot. Only Daniel's health mattered to him at the moment.


	28. Box Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: She thought playing Sam for a day would be boring.  
> Characters: Paulina, Danny, and the Box Ghost
> 
> Bodyswap AU includes:  
> Day 20 Swap  
> Day 29 Box Ghost

So far, everything was going... okay. At least, Paulina thought it was. Danny and Tucker seemed to have little idea the Sam they talked to wasn't the real Sam. On occasion she would say something, or not say anything, and they would give her curious looks. Then they would shrug it off like Sam often said or did things out of character so it wasn't anything about which to worry. Did Sam keep secrets from her friends? It was the only explanation Paulina could think of for why they never seemed overly concerned. Or maybe she was just a great actress. She doubted that answer though.

"Ugh," Danny groaned, his shoulders slumping like a student who just learned they had about eight hours of homework to do that night. "Not again."

Paulina opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but in the next moment a ghost appeared in the hall. She froze where she stood, panic and fear creeping up through her, much like that morning when she woke up in the wrong body. Danny, however, didn't seem bothered by the ghost's appearance while students in the hall screamed and ran away.

"I am the Box Ghost!" shouted the blue ghost as cardboard boxes floated around him. They came in different sizes, some looking like postal boxes and others like they were used for storage. "I have come to get my revenge upon Phantom. Beware!"

Paulina lifted an eyebrow. This ghost didn't strike her as very competent as he laughed madly. Had Phantom ever fought a ghost like him before? Paulina couldn't recall ever seeing this ghost, and she had done her best to always be around to watch Phantom fight. Her gaze flicked around the hall quickly, hoping to catch sight of him now.

"Here." Danny held his bag out for her to take. "Watch this for me. I shouldn't take too long."

"Wha-" But Paulina didn't get to finish her question. She stood stunned, blinking after Danny as he darted out of sight. A moment later, Phantom soared into the hall, looking as strong and brave as she remembered. But a startling thought distracted her from admiring him.

"All right, Box Ghost," Phantom said as he faced off against the box controlling ghost. "Let's wrap this up quickly."

"It is you," the Box Ghost said dramatically as he pointed a finger at Phantom, "who will be wrapped up." He snickered to himself then launched a box at Phantom who easily deflected it and sent it to harmlessly crash into the lockers.

Paulina sank to the floor, her mouth hanging open from shock. Danny Fenton was... Phantom! Now she understood why Sam pressed her to promise not to say anything about what she learned about Danny and Tucker while in the Goth's body. _I could have been dating Phantom!_ Paulina realized, her eyes growing wider. Danny had asked her out too many times for her to remember, and she had always brushed him off. Or used him to get back at Sam. A bit of guilt ate at her with that realization, and she frowned. But if she agreed to date Danny now, it would only be because she knew he was Phantom. She would only be using him again.

Did she care about that though? Oddly enough, she found she did care. Maybe she had only spent a few hours being Sam and hanging out with Danny and Tucker. But they had actually made her laugh a few times, and they were nice, and she secretly admitted to herself that there was something nice about not having the pressure of popularity weighing down on her. She still liked being queen of the school, but having a day off now and then seemed nice too.

"No!" The ghost's anguished cry stirred Paulina from her thoughts, and she looked over as the Box Ghost scrambled to escape being sucked into the Thermos Phantom held. "You cannot defeat me! I am the Box Ghost! You should tremble in fear at my very name!" His continued shouts were cut off when the thermos' pull was too great.

Phantom sighed as he slapped the cap back onto the Thermos then quickly phased through the wall. Paulina managed to pick herself up from the floor, dusting off her pants before Danny reappeared from around the corner. He grinned as he took his bag back and slung it over one shoulder.

"Well, at least he's good for a little stress relief," Danny said, leading the way down the hall as if nothing had even happened.

Paulina stared at him like it was her first time ever seeing him. He did have a certain bounce in his step after the fight, like he had gotten rid of some pent up frustrations which allowed him to feel more relaxed and at ease. How had she never noticed that about Danny? How had she never realized Danny always disappeared right before Phantom showed up and reappeared right after Phantom left? Now it all seemed obvious, and she could have smacked herself for not noticing sooner.

"Hey, you all right, Sam?" Danny turned a worried frown onto her. "You seem really quiet today."

"Oh, uh, just you know," Paulina shrugged, "thinking about, uh, those poor animals locked up in cages." That was something Sam was concerned about, right?

Danny's mouth quirked into a slight grin. "Just don't go releasing anymore gorillas from their cages."

Paulina nearly stumbled. Had Sam really done that? "I'll try not to," she said as they reached their lockers. Danny nodded and proceeded to talk about their last class together, not noticing that his "friend's" mind was elsewhere as Paulina dealt with her shock of learning Phantom's secret identity.


	29. OC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Quinn works as a mechanic in Clockwork's tower.  
> Characters: Clockwork

Red eyes rolled as in the background the Master of Time droned on and on about the intricacies of time and maintaining things and all that boring stuff that was of little interest to Quinn. The mechanic's attention focused on the work needing to be done on Clockwork's tower. The place was huge, and with the whole grandfather clock motif, it needed almost constant maintenance to make sure the gears didn't jam up and stop working.

Quinn liked the work. After all, being a mechanic was the passion the ghost shared both in life and death. The only downside to working on Clockwork's tower was having to listen to the keeper of time ramble on endlessly about his work. Was the mechanic really supposed to be impressed by the ghost's knowledge of the workings of time? That was Clockwork's job after all. Of course he knew everything. So when it came around to the millionth time listening to Clockwork's rambling, Quinn merely tuned him out and focused on the mechanical parts of the tower.

"Then in another timeline I worked at a strip club under the name Cockwork," explained the Time Master.

"Uh huh," Quinn mumbled dully, nodding like always while listening to the ghost. Then head jerked upward and twisted around to face Clockwork. "Wait. What?" White brows knitted together on the blue face as Quinn frowned.

Clockwork smirked, amusement showing in his red eyes. "I just wanted to see if you were paying attention."

"Uh huh," Quinn repeated, eying the other ghost with a certain amount of doubt. Sometimes Quinn really hated that smugness Mr. All Knowing wore all the time. Mouth pursed somewhat in thought. "If you know all of time, then you already knew the answer to that."

"But I also knew how amusing your response would be."

Quinn rolled red eyes again before turning back to working on the tower. "You know I'm just here to fix things that break." When silence fell, Quinn happily enjoyed the reprieve from listening to any further droning on about time. But after several moments, Quinn's mouth curled downward as the ticking of clocks echoed in the otherwise silent tower. With a sigh, tools were lowered and Quinn turned around, lifting an eyebrow at the Time Master. "What?"

Clockwork sat on his throne, surrounded by time portals playing various scenes throughout the ages, as he leaned forward on his staff. His gaze remained on Quinn, watching the mechanic work. His shoulders hunched in a small shrug, his cloak rustling at the action.

"I get so few visitors here," Clockwork answered.

"I work here," Quinn reminded dully. "I'm not here for socializing." And honestly, he couldn't blame ghosts for avoiding Clockwork. Who wanted to talk with someone who knew everything that would or could ever happen? Added to that, Clockwork could be a real jerk.

An eyebrow arched upward as Clockwork watched, and Quinn frowned with the feeling that the Time Master knew exactly what thought just slipped through the mechanic's mind. "What I meant was, I rarely have anyone show up at my tower, and when they do, it's usually because they fouled something up and want me to let them go back in time to fix it." He sighed miserably. "As if that's the answer to all their problems. They don't even understand that making even a small change can sometimes drastically change the future. Things won't go exactly as they want simply because they alter a single moment in time."

"Fascinating," Quinn murmured, though it didn't matter much to the mechanic. Quinn never considered going back in time, even if it meant changing events to keep from dying. Maybe other ghosts had considered it, but Quinn was content simply being able to continue work as a mechanic in the afterlife.

Clockwork sighed, drawing Quinn's attention again. "You're the only one who shows up here and never asks anything from me. I appreciate that."

Quinn's eyebrows lifted a touch. "I just like being able to work with machines." Turning, red eyes gazed up at the gears and mechanical parts of the tower. "Being able to work with this nearly every day." A smile tugged at blue lips. "It's like a dream. Your tower is quite marvelous. I enjoy being able to maintain it." Lost gazing upon the tower's inner workings, Quinn failed to notice Clockwork had left his throne until a hand rested upon the hat the mechanic wore. Quinn's head tilted back farther to stare up at the Time Master.

"I'm glad you appreciate my tower." Clockwork's mouth curved into a small smile. "And I appreciate your companionship while you work."

Quinn's head jerked away, cheeks feeling a touch warmer than normally. "It's nothing," the mechanic grumbled, fiddling with tools. "Just doing my job."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quinn is a ghost created by my dear friend [akiwitch](http://akiwitch.tumblr.com/). And [here](http://akidoodles.tumblr.com/post/84463162250/i-promised-kimurasato-that-i-would-make-a-dp-oc)'s what Quinn looks like.


	30. Free Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: The battle is won but not without a heavy price.  
> Characters: Danny and Vlad
> 
> Mute Danny AU includes:  
> Day 28 Malfunction  
> Day 31 Free Day

Opening his eyes was a struggle. They didn't seem to want to respond to his command, like they were weighed down by lead keeping them closed to the world. When he could finally pry them open, he regretted it, squinting his eyes shut against the harsh brightness of the room. Sunlight streamed in from a large window with the flimsy white drapes drawn all the way open. The walls were obnoxiously white too, and he was glad the fluorescent lights overhead were off, thinking their angry glow would make it all worse. He struggled to sit up on the bed as his whole body ached, his head throbbing painfully.

"Ah, you're awake."

He stirred a bit more fully upon hearing the familiar voice. His eyes snapped open despite the cruel brightness and found the man sitting beside him with a book closed upon his lap. What surprised him, though, was the worried expression upon the man's face. Vlad was _not_ supposed to wear that kind of expression toward him. They had teamed up recently because the threat created by the Guys in White was too much for them to handle individually and threatened far more than the ghost population and their own identities. They were supposed to return to being enemies after the battle was won.

Danny's mouth moved, wanting to ask Vlad about what happened to the robot, what happened after he blacked out, where were they, had Vlad told his parents about what happened, why was Vlad still sitting with him. Too many questions came to his mind all at once, but it took several moments before it registered in his mind that no sound was coming from his mouth. He reached up, eyes growing wide as his hand touched the bandages wrapped around his throat. From the corner of his eye, Danny could see the pain on Vlad's face.

"Please try to remain calm, Daniel," Vlad said in as quiet and comforting a tone as he could manage. He frowned at the hardened glare upon the teenager's face. "Yes, I'm aware that this isn't going to be easy for you, and you have every right to be angry and lash out, but it won't help anything. Please just listen."

Danny narrowed his eyes a touch more. What else was he going to do when he couldn't speak?

Vlad took a breath, lowering his gaze. "Your plan succeeded in destroying the robot. But you're still part human, and as such, your body couldn't handle the strain of performing such a powerful attack twice in a row."

Danny frowned. He remembered all the times he used the Ghostly Wail in the past. His throat had always hurt afterward, but in a few days, sometimes a week, he would feel fine again and he would cast off any doubts about using that particular power. His brow creased as he stared at Vlad.

"You destroyed your vocal cords with that last attack," Vlad explained. "I brought you here because the only doctor I trust to look at you works at this hospital. He's the doctor that oversaw me when I had the ecto acne, and he wouldn't dare tell another soul about us. I also didn't think it wise to risk a hospital too close to Amity Park for the sake of keeping your identity a secret."

Danny puzzled that out for a moment before he grasped some understanding of the situation. Vlad had brought him to a hospital in Wisconsin. Danny stared wide eyed at his hands resting in his lap. Vlad actually cared about protecting his identity? He glanced cautiously at the man, and he could see dark bags under his eyes. Had Vlad stayed here with him the entire time he was unconscious?

"I've spoken to your parents," Vlad continued, filling in the awkward silence. "I told them about - about what happened." Danny had never seen Vlad struggle so badly for words as he did in this moment. "They've been helping to clean up after the Guys in White's mess, but they hope to arrive by the end of the day. Your sister will be with them."

Danny nodded uncertainly, a heavy weight settling in his chest. He wished to ask questions, wanting to know if his regenerative powers would eventually heal the damage to his vocal cords, but without the ability to speak, he wouldn't be able to get the point across. Until then, he had listened quietly, absorbing the information Vlad told him, but something finally snapped. Something in Vlad's gaze gave him the answer without needing to even ask the question. His hands covered his mouth as he bent forward and gasped out, hot tears spilling from his eyes. The damage had been too great for him. His power to heal faster than normal people couldn't repair his vocal cords. He would never be able to speak again.

The bed dipped, and Vlad cautiously wrapped his arms around him. For a moment, Danny didn't respond to his touch, then grabbed hold of the man, clinging to him like a life line as he sobbed into the expensive suit. Vlad didn't seem to care about that as he held onto Danny, rubbing soothing circles over his back and allowing the teen to cry until he exhausted all his energy.

It didn't seem fair! He had always done his best to protect Amity Park from dangers that threatened it. And how was he repaid? By having his voice taken from him! But even as that bitter thought twisted in his mind, Danny knew if given the chance to relive the battle against the Guys in White's malfunctioning robot, he would make the same call, pay the same sacrifice. Because he was a hero, and sometimes, a hero had to give up parts of himself to save the people he cared about, to save the town he cared about, even if the sacrifice caused him great pain.


End file.
